‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14:29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

[29] Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.

In our Christian walk we need to be patient with ourselves and with others. We must not tear people apart if they do not meet our expectations. We need to adopt the very nature of God in this regard and allow people to grow and develop. When we give our lives to Jesus we embark upon a journey of sanctification which requires a process of surrender and dying to self. In this God pours out His Amazing Grace upon us and patiently takes our hand and walks with us as we develop and grow in relationship with Him. In doing so we grow in our understanding of the height, depth, length and width of His Love for us.

Once we gain a deeper insight into the reality that our Heavenly Father does not merely Love us but that He is in fact Love we are then able through His eyes to view our world from His Love perspective. Our genuine love for people deepens and we are able to patiently take their hands and to walk with them as they become transformed into His image and likeness.

Lack of patience has a way of taking us out of God’s timing and robbing us of His best. A prime example of this was when Abraham got impatient and ended up having a child with the servant instead of letting God do His work in Sara’s womb. This resulted in the birth of Ismael. However God was true to His Word and opened up Sara’s womb to allow for Isaac to be borne. In fact as Christians we have often run ahead of God which has resulted in many Ishmaels being birthed in our lives. If we had just waited for God’s timing we would have avoided a lot of heartache and we would have received God’s best in His perfect timing.

(Excerpt from the book- #lovebeyondwords – Erick Bouwmeester)

Erick Bouwmeester