Having Patience in a Rushed Society
We live in a society that constantly wants the next best thing and wants it now. If something doesn't happen immediately it is written off as never going to happen. Now don't get me wrong, not everyone does this. There are lots of hardworking dreamers out there that push back against society's standards. They work hard for what they want and they take life one step at a time with determination to succeed. But even they get discouraged. Even they get impatient. It's human nature.
Impatience is caused by society's standards constantly being thrust upon a person. It adds a whole lot of stress nobody wants. Society likes to put a timeline on life. It's all about graduating high school with a 4.0+ GPA, going straight into college, getting a masters, starting a career, moving up the employment ladder, increasing one's salary, marrying the "perfect" person, having the "perfect" kids, buy the "perfect" house, the "perfect" car, and retiring by 50.
Yeah right, totally going to happen. Not. It's just not realistic. And besides, society is so messed up that as soon as one person achieves the "perfect" standard, the next person has to do better. Society moves so fast that no one will ever really catch up. There isn't such a thing as "good enough". People are just tiring themselves out trying to reach something that isn't reachable. Each person's life is different. What is good for one person isn't necessarily good for the other. We each have a special path to go down. So how does one have "success" in life? How do we live in a world of rushed society without completely running ourselves into the dirt? How do we be patient and take the path we were meant to take?
Glad you asked. Patience requires trust. Not trust in an outcome, but trust in a person. That person is Jesus. Thankfully we have a God who is trustworthy, all powerful, kind, loving, worthy of respect. He sees the whole picture. God knows the beginning of our life story, the middle, the end. He knows all the trials we shall face, the victories we shall have, and the impact our lives will make. It isn't up to us to "make it happen". That's God's job. We are His tools, for His glory and not for our own. We live according to His timeline, not society's. In His timeline, God says "do not worry"(Matt 6:36), "rest in Me"(Matt 11:28), "for I know the plans I have for you"(Jer 29:11), "do as to the Lord and not to men"(Col 3:23), "Wait upon the Lord"(Isa 40:31).
Don't try and make it happen, you'll only tire yourself and get discouraged. Wait upon the Lord, lean on his wisdom and guidance. Seek His will for your life and be faithful to stop and listen. Be patient in His timing. His timing is perfect. You may have to wait years for something to happen. And it may never happen at all. It is all up to the will of God. But I can tell you this, if you are patient and it does happen, it shall be so much sweeter than if you were to try and make it happen all on your own. When you have patience and wait on God, you remove the pressure of doing it on your own, you take away society's grip on you.
I know what it is to wait for something to happen. I also know what is it is like to try and make it happen all on my own. It's exhausting. And trust me, it is so much better waiting on Jesus. I went against the norm and didn't go to college. Society told me to let my dream stay just that, a dream. But I decided to be an author instead. I felt God calling me to write with Him and He has blessed me by opening doors I never imagined being opened. I've written two manuscripts, sent one in for publication, and been declined several times, but I'm not giving up because I trust in God's timing. It's discouraging in the moment but when I think on the greatness of our Lord, I remember that His ways are higher than my own. So I wait. I practice patience. There are things in my life I have waited on the Lord for years. He has brought some of my waiting to an end but in other things I may end up waiting on Him for many more years to come. And that's okay with me. I've seen Him be faithful in different aspects of my life and I trust Him fully.
It's a struggle. A daily battle. But in the end it'll be worth it.
So what will you do? Will you have patience in a rushed society? Will you wait upon the Lord?
Impatience is caused by society's standards constantly being thrust upon a person. It adds a whole lot of stress nobody wants. Society likes to put a timeline on life. It's all about graduating high school with a 4.0+ GPA, going straight into college, getting a masters, starting a career, moving up the employment ladder, increasing one's salary, marrying the "perfect" person, having the "perfect" kids, buy the "perfect" house, the "perfect" car, and retiring by 50.
Yeah right, totally going to happen. Not. It's just not realistic. And besides, society is so messed up that as soon as one person achieves the "perfect" standard, the next person has to do better. Society moves so fast that no one will ever really catch up. There isn't such a thing as "good enough". People are just tiring themselves out trying to reach something that isn't reachable. Each person's life is different. What is good for one person isn't necessarily good for the other. We each have a special path to go down. So how does one have "success" in life? How do we live in a world of rushed society without completely running ourselves into the dirt? How do we be patient and take the path we were meant to take?
Glad you asked. Patience requires trust. Not trust in an outcome, but trust in a person. That person is Jesus. Thankfully we have a God who is trustworthy, all powerful, kind, loving, worthy of respect. He sees the whole picture. God knows the beginning of our life story, the middle, the end. He knows all the trials we shall face, the victories we shall have, and the impact our lives will make. It isn't up to us to "make it happen". That's God's job. We are His tools, for His glory and not for our own. We live according to His timeline, not society's. In His timeline, God says "do not worry"(Matt 6:36), "rest in Me"(Matt 11:28), "for I know the plans I have for you"(Jer 29:11), "do as to the Lord and not to men"(Col 3:23), "Wait upon the Lord"(Isa 40:31).
Don't try and make it happen, you'll only tire yourself and get discouraged. Wait upon the Lord, lean on his wisdom and guidance. Seek His will for your life and be faithful to stop and listen. Be patient in His timing. His timing is perfect. You may have to wait years for something to happen. And it may never happen at all. It is all up to the will of God. But I can tell you this, if you are patient and it does happen, it shall be so much sweeter than if you were to try and make it happen all on your own. When you have patience and wait on God, you remove the pressure of doing it on your own, you take away society's grip on you.
I know what it is to wait for something to happen. I also know what is it is like to try and make it happen all on my own. It's exhausting. And trust me, it is so much better waiting on Jesus. I went against the norm and didn't go to college. Society told me to let my dream stay just that, a dream. But I decided to be an author instead. I felt God calling me to write with Him and He has blessed me by opening doors I never imagined being opened. I've written two manuscripts, sent one in for publication, and been declined several times, but I'm not giving up because I trust in God's timing. It's discouraging in the moment but when I think on the greatness of our Lord, I remember that His ways are higher than my own. So I wait. I practice patience. There are things in my life I have waited on the Lord for years. He has brought some of my waiting to an end but in other things I may end up waiting on Him for many more years to come. And that's okay with me. I've seen Him be faithful in different aspects of my life and I trust Him fully.
It's a struggle. A daily battle. But in the end it'll be worth it.
So what will you do? Will you have patience in a rushed society? Will you wait upon the Lord?
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