Friday, April 1, 2022

Today we look at the fourth of the Fruits of the Spirit Paul described in his epistle to the Galatians: Patience.

How often have you muttered “Lord, give me patience!” under your breath? You’re listening to someone babbling incoherently on a conference call, stuck in a traffic jam, hoping for the grocery store checker to stop gabbing with the person ahead of you in line, ad infinitum.

It’s hard to be patient! We live in a world where we want instant gratification for everything, and waiting patiently for anything increases our frustration and anger.

Here’s a short prayer you can use at any time to ask God to give you patience, the all-important fruit of the spirit:

Lord, please give me patience to handle this situation. Calm me, and slow down my hurried pace. Help me to keep from wasting my life in frustration and exhaustion about things I can’t control. Instead of focusing on the negatives, have me look around and appreciate the beauty of your creation. Thank you for helping me in everything I do! In Jesus’ name I pray… Amen!

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22-23‬

Image by Osama Saeed via Unsplash