"loseth Not Thy Cooleth"

By John Stallings

Be patient brethren……James 5:7

A school teacher was having a bad day. It had rained all day & her children couldn’t go out for recess.

About 2:45 she saw it was still raining & decided to go ahead & get the kids ready for dismissal. She sorted out boots & raincoats & started helping get them on.

Finally they were all ready to go, except for one little guy whose boots were just too small for his feet. There were no zippers or straps & it took every last ounce of strength she had to get them on.

When she finally did get them on she straightened up with a sigh of relief. That’s when the little boy looked down at his feet & said, “Teacher, you know what? These boots aren’t mine.”

She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but being the good teacher she was she smiled & bravely started taking them off. And they were harder to get off than they were to get on. She yanked & tugged until finally the boots were off. That’s when the boy smiled at her & said, “They’re not mine, but they’re my sister’s, & I got to wear them today.”

That teacher may have been the one who constructed the little prayer, “Lord, I need patience & I need it now.”

Have you “lost your cooleth” lately?

I’m probably the last person who should be writing a message on patience, but like every preacher or communicator, every now & then we get to [or should I say- have to] put one out there that hits us squarely between the eyes.

Listen to Paul in Colossians 3:12
As God’s chosen ones, holy & beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility & patience.

WHAT IS PATIENCE?

When patience is mentioned in the Bible it’s talking about; perseverance, persistence, forbearance, & endurance; the ability to bear trials without grumbling & complaining, self-control, self-restraint, regardless of the circumstances.

# PATIENCE IS A SHOCK ABSORBER

I’m almost always silently praying for patience, but prayer isn’t enough. Although patience is one of the fruit of the spirit, we have to be willing to exercise it & allow it to do its perfect work in us.-James 1:4

Just about the time we think we’re safe, our patience will be tested & we’ll find out we haven’t arrived as yet. Patience takes spiritual muscle & any muscle has to be exercised to remain strong.

Sometimes it’s annoying strangers we have to absorb, like the people down the block whose dogs bark all night long; or the driver poking along at 45 mph in the left lane of the freeway. Or the person in front of us in the 15 item express line at the grocery store who puts 19 items on the belt then proceeds to chat with the checker & then argues about the bill.

Maybe it’s the person sitting behind you on the airplane that keeps coughing & sneezing to the point that you want to hold his nose & cover his mouth simultaneously or maybe ask the attendant for another seat.

Maybe you race across town for a doctor’s appointment only to cool your heals for an hour in the waiting room.

Sometimes it’s our own family. It’s our nearest & dearest who try our patience. It’s our kid who brings the car home with an empty gas tank or brings the family RV home with all manner of junk in it.

Patient people have the capacity to absorb these irritants without seizing up. Don’t get me wrong; there are times when it’s perfectly appropriate to confront individuals or situations even to seek legal justice. God never calls us to be doormats. But in order to be effective we have to be coming from a calm controlled place ourselves.

Listen to James;

Be patient therefore brethren unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth & hath patience for it, until he receive the early & latter rain.

Through the years I’ve watched patient people & when possible I’ve studied them. It helps to have good role models & teachers.

# PATIENCE IS SELF-RESTRAINT

Patience doesn’t hastily retaliate against a wrong. When someone does you wrong, do you respond with patience or anger?

# PATIENCE IS THE ABILITY TO ACCEPT DELAY OR DISAPPOINTMENT GRACIOUSLY.

For some of us, that’s really tough.

# PATIENCE IS THE ABILITY TO CONTINUE TO REMAIN STEADFAST UNDER STRESS & STRAIN.

If patience is put under duress, say by a loved one you’ve spent hours with at a hospital or nursing home, the patient person will say, “This too will pass. It’s almost over. I can keep on keeping on.”

# PATIENCE IS A CALM ASSURANCE, BASED ON THE KNOWLEDGE THAT GOD IS IN CONTROL.

I’ve received more comfort from Romans 8:28 than perhaps any other Bible verse. The verse doesn’t promise us we’ll have no problems & struggles but it gives us the assurance that God will use everything that happens to us to bring about His ends which will always be beneficent.

A TEST TO SEE IF YOU’RE AN IM PATIENT PERSON

# You’re too impatient if you’ve ever left a restaurant because they took too long to wait on you.
# You’re too impatient if when reading to a child you skip a page or two to expedite the process.
# You’re too impatient if you put on make-up or a necktie while driving to work.
# You’re too impatient if you see a yellow light & you’re tendency is to accelerate instead of brake.
# You’re too impatient if you ever wanted to reconfigure the long line at the buffet.
# You’re too impatient if you’ve ever asked during a sermon, “How much longer is this windjammer going to talk?”
# You’re too impatient if you’ve ever cut through a parking lot to miss a stoplight.
# You’re too impatient if your children or grand-children think their first names are, “Come on…hurry up… & let’s move it.”

Lest you feel impatience is not a big deal, may I remind you that graveyards are full of people who would still be alive if they’d had just a few seconds more patience.

HERE ARE A FEW NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF IMPATIENCE

# We run the risk of being dissatisfied & angry with ourselves for our slow pace of growth & change.
# We in turn pass that on to others & have outbursts of temper when they are slow to change & grow.
# We “throw away” relationships, discarding people, jobs, school, or church when things aren’t working out as smoothly as we want them to.
# We waste energy fretting about how slow things are going, instead of channeling that energy toward the changes we desire.
# We lose friends because we withdraw prematurely when we don’t see quickly the results we desire.
# We ignore all the positive gains we’ve made on the road to change only concentrating on what hasn’t yet been accomplished.
# We become sour & pessimistic about life seeing the cup “half-empty” rather than “half-full.”
# We are in such a hurry that we neglect to count our blessings & see how far we’ve come.
# We burn ourselves out pursuing vain goals & chasing things that don’t exist-- like perfection.
# We finally lose the ability to reinforce any level of success or attainment discouraging ourselves & others.
# We become overwhelmed by any large task ahead of us & lose the hope & motivation to keep trying in life.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the Old Testament king Saul. Early on when he was fighting the Philistine army the prophet of God- Samuel told Saul to wait for him at a place called Gilgal. But Saul got impatient at the end of seven days & took it upon himself to offer burnt offerings to God. At that very moment Samuel appeared & confronted him with his defiance.

If the king of Israel would not obey the God of Israel what hope could there be for the nation? Saul was distrusting the Lord at a time of national danger as though God were not as interested in preserving the people as he. At the end of the day, it was Saul’s impatience that made him unfit to be king.

LET’S LOOK AT PATIENCE ANOTHER WAY

Does being patient mean we have to be calm cool & collected all the time? Does being patient mean I’m not allowed to be sad or upset when nothing seems to be happening? If I’m “waiting on the Lord” does that mean I can’t be proactive in the pursuit of my dreams & goals?

The more I’ve learned about patience, the more I’ve realized that patience isn’t a singular item we must cultivate. As a matter of fact it seems to me that patience doesn’t stand alone as though separate from the other virtues. I’ve seen patience as something that, somewhat like happiness comes & lights on our shoulder when we’re doing some other things right.

In the pursuit of Christ likeness, we are learning to be kind to others & when we’re kind & loving, we’re also learning to be patient with others. When we are learning self-control, we’re also learning faithfulness, & so it goes. In Galatians 5:22-23, we see the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control….”

Notice it says the “fruit” of the Spirit rather than the “fruits.” In the end, I think patience is having full confidence in God’s timing & waiting on His will to be fulfilled rather than jumping ahead of the game or going directly against His will. We may have times of anguish & we may be hurting during the long wait but while we’re waiting we’re also learning other lessons about God & cultivating other virtues.

DEVELOPING PATIENCE ISN'T EASY

Let’s face it; we weren’t born patient, were we? If a baby wakes up in the middle of the night hungry or with a wet diaper, it doesn’t lie there & think, “I know mom & dad are tired so I’ll just wait until a more convenient time to let them know I need to eat or I need a dry diaper.” Nope! That baby cries bloody murder until it gets the attention it demands.

Impatience reached its zenith recently in a Long Island Wal-mart when at 5 A.M in the morning several hundred adults broke the doors down in a stampede to avail themselves of a sale to buy Flat-screen TVs. In the process they trampled on & killed a guard at the door, never stopping to check to see if he was seriously injured.

America has become an angry, tense, anxious, impatient nation. You see it at work. You see it in school & you see it on the hi-ways. We don’t live in a relaxed culture & it takes a toll on us. Have you ever seen someone so uptight their shoulders are up around their ears? I’m sure they didn’t start the day out like that but society has just worn them out by days end. I’ve been to many other countries & there’s a different lifestyle. People are more laid back. Whatever happens-happens.

Another thing I see is that we have convinced ourselves that impatience is a virtue. I hear folk say “I may be impatient but I get the job done.” We like hard-charging “type A” personalities.

The Bible says- A patient man has great understanding but a quick-tempered man displays folly. Proverbs 14:29

A hot-tempered man stirs up dissention but a patient man calms a quarrel. Proverbs 15:18

We live in a day when there are more nervous breakdowns than at any other time in history. The other day I heard on the news about a pilot who actually had a breakdown right in the cockpit & had to be forcibly subdued. I know that wasn’t a pretty sight to see. If I’m not mistaken one of the female flight attendants had to help land the plane. People can just be overwhelmed with a sense of impending doom.

The Sabbath day was God’s idea- a day to worship & rest. Our bodies need it, & our spirits need it. Sometimes we just need to take a walk or spend some time in the park, or leave your credit cards at home & go to the Mall. Watch people, watch children play & listen to the birds sing. Read a book, plant a flower & watch it grow. And it helps to remind ourselves that Paul said, -- God, who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Isaiah also reminds us—But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like Eagles………Isaiah 40:31

David said; I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me & heard my prayer. He brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, & set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. Psalm 40:1-2

As we approach Christmas, the pace of life will pick up & we’ll see the “rat race” & the rats will probably win. Let me suggest a few practical things that will help us enjoy the season more.

1. Declare a moratorium on horn blowing unless it’s absolutely necessary.
2. Eat your food slowly & enjoy every meal even if it’s just a sandwich.
3. Stand in the longest check-out line & discipline yourself to keep a pleasant attitude.
4. Go through one day without looking at your watch or using your cell phone.
5. I was going to say, don’t even check your email but I just couldn’t get myself to type those words.
6. Remember how patient God is with us. We keep messing up yet His patience never wavers.
7. “Be Cooleth.”

Finally, it helps to keep our eyes on Jesus. I hope you don’t feel I’m trying to give a few slick answers or remedies to impatience, like “Forty days to a more patient you.” While learning some practical steps can be helpful, we’re talking here about something far deeper. We’re talking about developing a Christ-like character.

We might as well accept the fact that we can’t be gracious, kind & loving within ourselves. We need God’s help to do that. We become more like Christ by thinking less about our own desires & focusing on the Lord Jesus.

When you & I look at Jesus on the cross, we see Him not just absorbing a few minor annoyances, but absorbing the accumulated evil of the whole world, thereby breaking the cycle of retaliation & vengeance in which this world is trapped.

The more I study & learn about Jesus, the more the irritations & annoyances that bug me don’t seem quite so bad.

The main reason God has kept back the tidal wave of destruction that will eventually engulf this world is His desire to see people repent & come to Him.

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promises as some understand slowness. He is PATIENT with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.—11 Peter 3:9

Blessings,

John