What is patience? Why is it a fruit of the Spirit?
"Don’t be proud at all. Be completely gentle. Be patient. Put up with one another in love" (Ephesians 4:2).
"A person with a bad temper stirs up conflict. But a person who is patient calms things down" (Proverbs 15:18).
"The end of a matter is better than its beginning. So it’s better to be patient than proud" (Ecclesiastes 7:8).
Patience, a fruit of the Spirit, is when a person can wait a long time for something without getting angry or frustrated. We can also show patience when we are able to keep our temper when something bad is happening or someone is being mean or rude to us.There are a lot of things you’ll have to wait for in life. You might have to wait in a long line, wait for food to cook, wait for a friend to clean her room before she can play with you, and much more. These things aren’t easy to wait for, but it’s even harder to wait when you don’t have patience! You’ll also find that you have to be patient with other people, because at some time or another someone is going to annoy you or be unkind to you. When you’re patient with them, you keep your temper instead of getting angry. You treat them with kindness even if you don’t feel like it.
God is very, very patient with us (see Psalm 103:8)! When we remember that, it’s easier to have patience with others. And because patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, God’s Spirit will continue to build patience in us when we follow and obey Him.
