Hal Brady
Owner and operator of a Christian ministry in Decatur

In the movie “Grand Torino,” Clint Eastwood stars and plays a bigoted widower. Except for the language, it’s a powerful movie.

The priest in that movie is amarvelous example of patience.

He relentlessly pursues this bigoted widower only to be rebuffed time and time again.

The priest is insulted, has the door slammed in his face, but he continues his pursuit to the end of the movie.

As I said, he is a notable example of patience.

Patience, however, is not one of our more popular virtues. As a matter of fact, most of us hate to wait.

We use our cell phones, text messages, emails and fax machines for quicker communication.

We speed read our books and look for the “instants”in the grocery stores.

Then, of course, we eat out meals at fast food restaurants.

Without doubt, our favorite word is “now,” and we often back that up with our temper tantrums.

So, in a fast pace world, why should we be patient?

Initially, we should be patient because God is patient!

The writers of the Bible are unanimous in their conviction that one of the crowing attributes of God is His patience. Patience is of God.

It has been 2000 years since Jesus came. Might we not have expected that a little more progress would have been made in terms of the kingdom-in 2000 years?

But all the time God has been and continues to be waiting and working, waiting and working, waiting and working,

God waits because God’s patience is rooted in His love. And God’s love is manifested in God’s long suffering toward us.

Really now, where would we be if it were not for the long suffering patience of God in dealing with us difficult human beings?

Second, we should be patient because we sometimes make terrible mistakes when we get in a hurry!

Let me ask you a question. How many marriages have ended with sad conclusions because the people involved were too impatient to work things out?

I read that there are three things to avoid like the plague in marriage: don’t be crabby, don’t be critical and don’t be controlling. I want to add a fourth thing to be avoided like the plague. “Don’t be impatient.”

Third, we should be patient because we are called to love. The Apostle Paul says, “Love is patient.”

As someone observed, “Patience is the powerful capacity of selfless love to suffer long under adversity.”

In closing, how can we become more patient. Patience, is of God and is one of our greatest gifts to God and to others.