Patience is a virtue

The best things in life are worth waiting for. All things come to him who waits. Patience is a virtue. These are all sayings or quotes that people hear or say hundreds of times throughout life. They're easy to throw out there when needed, but they can be really frustrating to hear.

I am an extremely impatient person. Long red lights drive me crazy, and unless I really want or need something, I won't wait in a line that's too long. I'm trying to be better, but this patience thing is tough.

It is also hard for me to be patient about the major things of life, such as the future. I have often told God it would be really convenient for him to either work on my time table or just send me a quick text letting me know what's coming. Unfortunately, he doesn't really work like that, and so I have to work on my patience just like the rest of the world.

There are certain things that I feel like I have been waiting my whole life for. Everyone has something like that in their life. There's that one thing that you have always had a desire for, but God hasn't brought it about yet. It seems like it is always in the back of your mind and heart, but some days it feels stronger than ever.

I read a verse the other day from the New Testament that said how Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. That sent me on a mission to find out how long Abraham had to wait before God fulfilled his promises. Abraham was 75 when God made his first promise, saying that Abraham would become a great nation. That's kind of hard to accomplish without any kids, so I can imagine how excited Abraham must have been, thinking that he and Sarah were finally going to be parents.

Fast forward 24 years. Sarah still has not had any children despite God's promise. If it had been me, I would've felt abandoned and angry at God for teasing me with a promise only to not fulfill it year after long year. But finally, God speaks about his promise again. He tells Abraham that he will finally be a father to Sarah's child...in another year. Talk about testing one's patience!

After reading up on Abraham and Sarah and how they had to wait 25 years from hearing God's first promise to the fulfillment of that promise, it gave me a new look on being patient. It showed me that God's timing is not my timing, but he is always faithful and always fulfills his promises.

Abraham and Sarah had their moments of impatience and frustration with God, but God was faithful in the midst of their impatience. And despite the fact that it can be cliche and an overused saying, the best things in life truly are worth waiting for.