I don’t know who to attribute the proverb, ‘patience is a virtue.’ But that person was perfectly impatient sometimes, like you and me.

I believe patience to be a virtue because it’s one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22 (GNT). This same verse in the King James Version and other translations include words like longsuffering or forbearance, synonyms for patience.

Romans 8: 25 (KJV) says, “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

As long as hope is alive, patience is active.

Patience is a spirit everyone must have and exercise if we are to live, trust God, work harmoniously together, and show consideration for one another.

Patience, a virtue to seek and attain, is a universal necessity. What’s a virtue? A virtue is a high moral standard; therefore, patience is morally a good thing. People don’t aspire to be impatient. We are born impatient. Babies give notice of their discomfort in waiting to be fed or changed by squalling. But babies aren’t disciplined.

And for us adults, one moment please, may turn into minutes or hours in some interactions. Sometimes our inability or refusal to wait shows how undiscipline we are. Patience is the acceptance or tolerance of delay in getting what we want and need.

Today’s impatience that sometimes leads to violence and road rage attests to the uncommonness of this necessary virtue.

So, what is so virtuous about patience? Having patience is having the discipline to wait or be tolerant.

Waiting is being patient, right?

The unknown author of the following proverb seeks to elevate our thinking about patiently waiting or waiting patiently. “Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.”

In other words, patience isn’t just about the wait but also about the person’s spirit while waiting. No one likes being inconvenienced. Patience is about temperament and one’s outlook during the delay.

Need I say, I’m an adult, and sometimes I’m discomforted while waiting, resentful, and aggravated. But if we wait with a positive attitude and a goodly spirit, herein lies virtue.

We have opportunities to learn patience throughout life.

We live in a world where ‘Simon Says, “Wait.”

No, waiting isn’t a game, but there’s always someone who calls the shots, and we have to wait. So, if waiting is required to obtain what you want or need, you wait.

We not only wait in dealing with one another, but we also wait for God’s provisions and healings. Patience is a noun, but it’s an action that God requires of us.

Even though we may find it hard to wait and be tolerant with each other, God mercifully waits on us. Our perfect example of patience is God, and many biblical verses speak to God’s longsuffering and patience.

Numbers 14:18 says, “The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy.”  Great mercy attests to great patience. And He is truly patient with us.

2 Peter 3:9 (KJV) says the Lord “is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

Patience isn’t inherited; it has to be learned through courtesies, obstacles, and trust in God.

We are challenged to be patient. Maybe that’s why we have designated waiting areas or waiting rooms. There are waiting areas for bus travelers, trains, and planes alike. And dentists, doctors, and other service givers have waiting rooms. There are also waiting lines at grocery, pharmacy, and department stores.

Waiting is a big part of our lives.

The following is another anonymous quote about patience.

“Be strong enough to let go and wise enough to wait for what you deserve.”

The final patience quote is a familiar biblical quote.

Isaiah 40:31 (JKV): ”But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength.”

Patience is a virtue of Christianity, not the world.

I’m growing in patience. What about you?

Be safe.