One way to tell that our impatience is leading us astray is that our ‘shortcuts’ are often not in line with God’s written guidelines in the Bible. When Abram tried to create descendants for himself by sleeping with his wife’s servant, he was not following God’s will for a husband and wife to be faithful to each other. Abram did not have the benefit of a written Bible to explain God’s will, but that is not an excuse for us.
Even without a clear rule stated in the Bible, we often feel a vague sense of incorrectness when we are not following God’s will. When we try to push things ahead ourselves, instead of waiting on God, we may feel uncomfortable or uneasy with our decision. If so, we should stop and take another look at our plans. If our plan is all about ourselves, promoting ourselves and ignoring how it affects other people, that plan just might be wrong!
Sometimes, when I am debating whether or not to contribute to a group discussion and say something, I make myself evaluate what I am thinking of saying (or texting): are my words designed to brag about myself and make myself look better? Or are they truly useful for the group? Social media is full of examples of comments that are definitely not useful for the group! The same thing is true when improvising music together with others (not that I do that often) – do you keep trying to have solos, or do you try and blend with the others?
Humility is often a useful indicator when evaluating decisions. Other indicators can be anger and anxiety, as described in the verses below. Be patient, and let your hope be in God.
Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips.
Proverbs 27:2
Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
Psalm 37:7-9