So how do we cultivate this virtue of patience? This is a hard one. Our lives are busy and hurried, and waiting patiently is not appealing in the slightest. There’s so much we could be doing, and if we wait, we might miss out on something.
Well, by rushing ahead, we might miss out on something else. Something better.
When I play piano in a church service without an orchestra, I play constantly whenever there is any music happening. No waiting involved. But when I am playing cello, many times my music has bars and bars of rests. Perhaps there’s a section with only the singers, or perhaps the brass or woodwinds are playing by themselves. My music will have ten or twenty bars of rests where I just have to sit there and count, waiting for my turn to play. I played percussion for a while, and they often have it even worse. Out of a three minute piece, they might have just one measure of playing.
You don’t have to be a musician to understand that this can be boring. Sometimes I sit there, tapping my fingers as I count, probably scowling a bit as I am forced to wait and do nothing. I watch the brass and woodwind players taking deep breaths, playing note after note. I watch the singers, counting how many are smiling and how many aren’t.
But if I let go of my impatience, I might actually listen to the other parts. I might enjoy hearing the music of others. I might even worship God. We can be so focused on what we think we’re missing that we miss out on something so much better. Instead of being so sure that we know what is best, we need to trust God to lead us in a better direction. Being patient and waiting on God involves submitting to Him. Not choosing our own way, but waiting until He makes it clear which way we should go.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6