Joyce Meyer on Waiting

Let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be (people) perfectly and fully developed (with no defects), lacking in nothing (James 1:4-Amplified Version)

If you have not developed patience, then having to wait may bring out the worst in you. At least that was the case with me until I finally realized my emotional reactions were not making things go faster. We would all like to be patient, but we don't want to develop patience because that means behaving well while we are not getting what we want. And that's hard!

The more we want something, the more our emotions will act up if we do not get it. Sometimes, what we want is simply more important to us than it should be, and we need to realize that and not behave childishly. Common sense tells us it is rather foolish to get into a rage over a parking space or some of the other simple things people tend to get upset about.

As you develop patience, don't merely think about how hard and frustrating it is, think about how peaceful you will  be when waiting never bothers you.

Ask yourself...

Do I wait well?

How do I act when I'm working with someone who is really slow at what they are trying to do?

How do I act if someone takes the parking space I've been waiting for?

What situations are difficult for me?

How do I behave when I have to wait?

On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do I handle myself when things don't go my way?

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excerpt from 'God's word vs. your Feeling', a Joyce Meyer Ministries (JMM) magazine (Enjoying Everyday Life) September / October issue