The Value of Patience
Patience has been an on-going topic of us growing our family. We haven't had a choice but to be patient, in my mind. But now, as God has taught us patience, there is incredible value in being able to control and lean into patience.
We know that patience is a valuable trait, right? We see it in the Bible. Love is PATIENT (1 Cor 13:4-5). Whoever is PATIENT has great understanding (Proverbs 12:29). God is PATIENT with us (2 Peter 3:9). The Lord is compassionate...slow to anger (Psalm 103:8). Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and PATIENCE (Colossians 3:12). The Lord will fight for you; you need only to BE STILL (Exodus 14:14). And last one that I love...
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)
This topic has been on my mind the last weeks as we sit in 'just the waiting stage' of our adoption. It's easy in the adoption world to complain about the wait and point out how hard patience is. And it is, right!?!? But I've been impressed how much patience is needed to parent, to homeschool, to interact with other adults, at the job, in a marriage, and so on.
And we all know how ugly it is when we loose our patience, right? We become angry, frustrated, lash out, say the wrong words, have the wrong heart...it never ends pretty.
I was so impressed how quickly I lost my patience when we brought Dominick home. Years of waiting for a child, years waiting for him, and you'd think my patience bucket would be made of solid gold, haha. You should of seen how fast it emptied when he had temper tantrum after temper tantrum because he couldn't communicate to us. And two people loosing their patience at each other really doesn't end well!
But you know, God pierced my heart quickly reminding me of HIM, HIS faithfulness and what good things are promised to those who are patient and wait upon HIS leading!
Patience is often a character trait we all desperately want, but are too scared to pray and ask God for it because we know He teaches us best off of experience. As I have had to learn patience through some of the hardest days of my life, I was blessed by a comment from a dear friend a few weeks back. She needed to describe me in just three words. Do you know what the first word she used to describe me?
Literally tears in my eyes right now. Patience. That's what she sees in me. Now I actually don't recall asking God to teach me patience all those years ago, haha, BUT praise Him that through the hardest seasons He developed a good character trait in me that I could of never done.
I still loose my patience. A lot. But I HAVE SEEN what GOOD Things come to those who WAIT and TRUST in God's sovereignty. And that's what I cling to each new chance that I have to either loose my patience OR put HIM on display. FOR HIM!
AND with that said. CURRENT ADOPTION PROCESS: we are still waiting for the September referral group of children to know what number we are to be matched. We were 18, I think :) If we were in the group to be matched last month (which we're not) and not heard, we'd have to see how well I was at patience then :)
BUT HUGE PRAISE. I have been waiting to hear from the last organization I applied to for an adoption grant. We applied back in the spring. Every other one we heard from months ago, so we kinda had given up hope with this one. BUT, PATIENCE in waiting, last night we heard from them and received another adoption GRANT. We received a grant from EVERY organization we applied to. GOD is IN THIS ADOPTION!
We know that patience is a valuable trait, right? We see it in the Bible. Love is PATIENT (1 Cor 13:4-5). Whoever is PATIENT has great understanding (Proverbs 12:29). God is PATIENT with us (2 Peter 3:9). The Lord is compassionate...slow to anger (Psalm 103:8). Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and PATIENCE (Colossians 3:12). The Lord will fight for you; you need only to BE STILL (Exodus 14:14). And last one that I love...Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)
This topic has been on my mind the last weeks as we sit in 'just the waiting stage' of our adoption. It's easy in the adoption world to complain about the wait and point out how hard patience is. And it is, right!?!? But I've been impressed how much patience is needed to parent, to homeschool, to interact with other adults, at the job, in a marriage, and so on.
And we all know how ugly it is when we loose our patience, right? We become angry, frustrated, lash out, say the wrong words, have the wrong heart...it never ends pretty.
I was so impressed how quickly I lost my patience when we brought Dominick home. Years of waiting for a child, years waiting for him, and you'd think my patience bucket would be made of solid gold, haha. You should of seen how fast it emptied when he had temper tantrum after temper tantrum because he couldn't communicate to us. And two people loosing their patience at each other really doesn't end well!
But you know, God pierced my heart quickly reminding me of HIM, HIS faithfulness and what good things are promised to those who are patient and wait upon HIS leading!
Patience is often a character trait we all desperately want, but are too scared to pray and ask God for it because we know He teaches us best off of experience. As I have had to learn patience through some of the hardest days of my life, I was blessed by a comment from a dear friend a few weeks back. She needed to describe me in just three words. Do you know what the first word she used to describe me?
Literally tears in my eyes right now. Patience. That's what she sees in me. Now I actually don't recall asking God to teach me patience all those years ago, haha, BUT praise Him that through the hardest seasons He developed a good character trait in me that I could of never done.
I still loose my patience. A lot. But I HAVE SEEN what GOOD Things come to those who WAIT and TRUST in God's sovereignty. And that's what I cling to each new chance that I have to either loose my patience OR put HIM on display. FOR HIM!
AND with that said. CURRENT ADOPTION PROCESS: we are still waiting for the September referral group of children to know what number we are to be matched. We were 18, I think :) If we were in the group to be matched last month (which we're not) and not heard, we'd have to see how well I was at patience then :)
BUT HUGE PRAISE. I have been waiting to hear from the last organization I applied to for an adoption grant. We applied back in the spring. Every other one we heard from months ago, so we kinda had given up hope with this one. BUT, PATIENCE in waiting, last night we heard from them and received another adoption GRANT. We received a grant from EVERY organization we applied to. GOD is IN THIS ADOPTION!
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