Developing Patience

Our lives in addiction were often shaped by characteristics of impatience and selfishness.  We didn’t take much time to think about others or be present with them.  Communicating appropriately in an uplifting way never occurred to us.  We used angry words to hurt and manipulate and vent our frustration.  Now that we are in recovery we are seeking to find a way of life that reflects the kindness, goodness, and patience that God desires us to have with one another.  

It takes patient deliberate action to live with integrity and consistently tell the truth.  We need patience to see a job through to the end.  Beginnings are easy, but “keeping on keeping on” until the job is done takes a lot of determination.  Finishing is better than starting.  Patience is better than pride. (Ecclesiastes 7:8 NLT)

We were created to live and work with each other.  It is a trying task to learn how to co-operate with each other, to listen to another’s point of view, and particularly to  give way to someone else’s ideas, and yet that’s how life works.  As we learn to give attention to details that never mattered to us in the past we need to be very patient with both  ourselves and others.  We need to have consideration for the requirements of those who are working with us.  

We need to regularly ask God to fill us with the fruit of His Holy Spirit as we deal with core character defects that have been the norm for us for many years. 

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT)

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, Help me to patiently deal with myself, others, and situations that threaten me.  Come and fill me to overflowing with Your Holy Spirit and produce in me the good fruit I need to be self-controlled in all my ways.  Amen

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