I have always thought that I am a patient person. I don’t easily get frustrated or irritated with people. But then, at a point, it would become too much for me and I would get mad.
I thought, “Well, I am almost always patient, so it’s fine to get angry or irritated with someone once in a while.” But the truth is, I knew it wasn’t okay. I was just making excuses for myself. Trying to make myself look or feel like a better person. The truth is that inside I’m actually full of impatience and demands on the others.
Admitting the truth
When I got angry, others had to bear with my frustration and hard words. Instead of creating peace around me, I created tension and fear. Afterwards I always hated it that I couldn’t control my anger, even though I tried hard to keep everything inside, but it still burst out. I felt so bad, because I knew that it’s not what others do or say to me that causes me to react the way I do, but it is the anger and impatience in my own nature that I need to overcome.
God’s Word says that “love is patient and kind ... Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures.” 1 Corinthians 13:4,7-8 (NIV). It says “always”, so how great can my love be if I’m patient “most of the time” with people? When I come into situations and I feel myself being impatient with the people at work, or even with my family members and the children in my life, can I admit that? Or am I just pushing it aside until it gets too much and I say lots of hurtful things?
When I'm tempted to be impatient and irritated, I need to admit to myself the truth about the way I am, and fight against and overcome those temptations in my thoughts before they become actions that hurt the people around me.
When I’m tempted to be impatient or angry, I always think about the verse in James 1:4 (NCV): “Let your patience show itself perfectly in what you do. Then you will be perfect and complete and will have everything you need.” Then I find the strength from God to overcome that temptation and instead be patient and loving. There is a great difference between just hiding my impatience, and actually being patient and loving!
Changing from the way I am
For me that is something that is so encouraging. To truly be able to see the impatience I have toward the others and in the situations in my life and be able to change. So that when others are around me they can sense only love and peace, and not demands and expectations that they should be different. Or that my circumstances should be different.
It’s such a blessing to be around people that you know won’t all of a sudden get mad at you. I can be that blessing for the people around me!
I know for myself I have a lot of opportunities every day to work on being patient and loving. Each day, as I overcome when I’m tempted, I come closer to my goal, which is to react in perfect love to each person I meet in life.