Success requires patience

Patience is not the easiest virtue for me. The simplest acts of patience wear me out. My parents are visiting. That means walking more slowly on the sidewalks. It makes me tired. Sitting at a restaurant with my kids wears me out. When I'm done, I want to move on. I don't want to wait on anyone else to finish. It's a fundamentally selfish thing. And this is just as true spiritually as it is in other areas of life.

I want to read the Bible and understand deep spiritual things immediately. I want to loose myself in prayer with little practice. I want to be like Mother Teresa and walk the slums and have everyone know my name because I've done so much good there. But I don't want to give up the lifetime to earn their respect and trust. I want God to bless me, prosper my congregation with new Christians and maturing believers. And I would like it to happen yesterday.

And then I read,

I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD. (Psalm 40:1-3)

So I wait and work. And wait and work. All the while chasing after those things that I desire. That I believe God has put in my heart to desire. But I work patiently, waiting on God to do something amazing. Praying that God continue to put a fire of desire within me to do great things for His glory and honor.

What about you? What are you waiting for? Patiently? Passively? Working?