How Cultivating Patience Makes Us Stronger

How to cultivate patience?

I’m sure you’ve heard your mother, sister, or best friend say, “Have Patience. This too shall pass.”

Yep. I thought so. The first thing that usually comes to my mind is something like, You’re only saying that because you’re not the one going through this disaster. Second and third thoughts: What do they know about forbearance in a valley such as this? And How can cultivating patience make us stronger?

Strength for tomorrow?

I had no way of knowing that every devastating illness, struggle, or derailment of my dreams might be a stepping stone to becoming a modern-day warrior. How could each setback or disappointment be part of a bigger plan for my life? Adventures. Tragedies. All mirror documented stories in the Bible for a reason. For me. For us. Because we’re his beloved, God gave us a line-by-line blueprint of how cultivating patience makes us stronger.

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31
Patience makes us stronger when we pray and wait on the Lord.

How to grow in patience and strength

Are you with me? Sure, I can testify about how life has a way of piling on disasters. One. After. Another. We all have stories to share, especially since 2020 and Covid-19 changed the world. We’ve suffered more illness and loss in a time of peace than in times of war. We pray but despise waiting for answers that might strengthen us for the long journey ahead. Instead of re-hashing the negativity associated with patience (or praying for it), what if we choose to embrace a few long-term benefits?

  • When we rejoice in hope, we smile more
  • If we’re mindful, we make thoughtful decisions
  • When we learn from missteps and major bloopers, we can pay it forward
  • If we rest, restore, and let go of anger, we rejuvenate. AKA Health Benefit #1 (Stress is a killer)

How patience = Endurance to press on

We endure moments when our patience wears—not only with others, ourselves, and God’s plan for us. If not for his promises and the hope I have in heaven, I couldn’t keep blowing my Life is Good horn or have the endurance to press on to what might come next. At times it’s unexplainable, but more often, I’m compelled to share. There’s only one reason I wake up every morning with a smile on my face. His name is Jesus.

The Sower and Cultivator of my faith

As Master Gardener, Jesus is the Sower and Cultivator of my faith. While growing a beautiful garden takes time, pruning, and patience, the same stands true for cultivating self-control, wisdom, and strength in a wretch like me. At times, God will prune away things in our lives that are contrary to his purposes.

My hope for tomorrow and happiness today is not in world leaders or global events. It’s all in him. Although the struggle was torturous at times, personal trials with cancer and tragic family losses kept me focused on the gift of life God gave us through his son Jesus.

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

John 15:2 NIV
God will patiently prune away things in our lives contrary to his wise purpose.

Powerful and patient Savior

The cross is where my Savior’s love and patience for a lost and dying world illustrated how selflessness and sacrifice cultivated an unimaginable, supernatural strength. In his weakness, he took on all our wickedness, sins, sicknesses, and burdens. In doing so, he became the Savior of all the world.

No matter what comes my way, and at the hour of my last breath here, I’ll know without a doubt there’s more than I could ever hope for or imagine waiting in a place he’s prepared for me.

All the troubles and sorrows of this world will fade away. I’ll finally see the gifts that each left behind and how every trial or storm helped me grow. That’s the day I’ll know I lived out the wisdom of those four words–“This, too, shall pass”–and how cultivating patience made me stronger.

Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 46:10

Dear friends,

Every day, I pray for peace as disaster headlines about the fate of this world bombard us. What if we set our brain games aside for a few minutes each day and take time to read the holy scriptures? Nothing is a surprise to God. Covid. Global warming. Natural disasters. Social unrest. Wars and rumors of wars. He has it all in his hands.

Let’s hide his word in our hearts. Persevering in cultivating patience when life throws us a million curveballs is not something we can easily accomplish. Even so, do you think heaven is worth the effort?

Don’t forget to join the conversation here in the Inspire A Fire comments section below this story. I’d love to hear your thoughts and stories. Read more of my stories on Dreamdove’s Flights of Fancy blog or the DoveStories website.

Special thanks to Pixabay for use of all free images. Feature Image: StockSnap #1: PublicDomainPictures, #2: Gerd Altmann, #3: geralt

Joann Claypoole

Joann Claypoole is an author, speaker, and former spa-girl entrepreneur. She's a wife, mother of four sons, “Numi” to four grandchildren, doggie-mom of two. The award-winning author of The Gardener’s Helper’s (ages 5-9 MJ Publishing2015) would rather be writing, hiking in the mountains, or inviting deer and other wildlife to stay for dinner near her western NC writing retreat. Visit her website: joannclaypoole.com and WordPress blog: https://joannclaypoole.wordpress.com/

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4 comments

  1. This read is so very true, when we are down with worry and filled with disturbences in our lives “This to shall pass”. A wonderful Read!!!!! Plz Read, Comment, Like and Share on joann’s Inspireafire Blog page.

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