Fruits of the Spirit | Patience

Patience is an important aspect of our relationship with God and our relationships with others. But this fruit is probably my least favorite! It involves slowing down and exercising some restraint.

This squirrel is always in a hurry and so I’ve had to learn to slow down a bit. The fruit of patience is important as we are reminded in Romans 12:12 to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. It is a quality that keeps us from speaking or acting hastily, especially when we disagree with something. But patience is not just waiting on someone or something to happen; the important part of this virtue is HOW we wait. The growth takes place in the HOW moments.

Farmers are the best example of patient people that I know of. They begin by preparing the soil for crops. Then they plant seeds and exercise a great deal of patience and hard work caring for their crops as they look for a good harvest. Don’t you just love looking across rows of corn growing in the summertime, or maybe a beautiful field of cotton in the early fall? Joe Tom Armbrester was the best farmer I’ve ever known. He spent his whole life farming and working cattle. I love fresh corn and summertime tomatoes, and I wish I could grow them like Joe Tom did. The Reader’s Digest says that tomatoes fit the scientific definition of fruit as they form from a flower and contain seeds. So botanically, tomatoes are fruit. But the way we eat them and treat them in cooking means they also fall into the legal category of vegetables. (Interestingly bit of trivia for a southern girl who doesn’t really know how to cook, huh?).

Alyssa Lee and I love olives. We keep a fresh jar of olives in the refrigerator and a bottle of olive oil on the counter to cook with. Beth Clark is one of my neighbors here on the Gulf Coast and she is a farmer that I truly admire. To look at Beth, you’d never think she was a farm girl, much less owned and worked her own olive orchard. A while back I got to visit with Beth and see her orchard. I learned all about how this beautiful Southern lady followed her passion and made her dreams come true. She grows, processes and sells her own brand of olive oil. I love the fact that she used her daughter’s artwork as part of her logo. You can read more about Beth and her special orchard at https://agirlandanolive.com. Beth is a great example of the virtues of grace, courage and patience. She has learned wisdom about how to plan for the future but also how to live in the present moment. All good farmers learn this lesson.

The past few years Beth’s crop hasn’t produced like she had hoped. But that’s an issue every farmer deals with. And character is formed in the process. Wise farmers learn that problems are opportunities to grow in grace. In Habakkuk 3:17-19, we are reminded that though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet

I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength, he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. Great farmers learn perseverance along the way. And I love that Beth has not given up on her dream. It takes a lot of character and commitment to work in an orchard through this summer of record-setting heat and limited rainfall here along the Gulf Coast. And if you ever see Beth, you might think this Southern girl just stepped out of a Southern Living magazine. She is pretty awesome.

Cindy Pennington is another Southern girl that I admire. She is a truly authentic person who loves serving her community. That’s a gift she’s been blessed with.And for me, she has lived as a great example of “It’s not just the wait, but HOW you wait.” A few years ago, Cindy was up for a well-deserved promotion. She was clearly the most qualified person for the job. But sometimes politics gets in the way, and the best candidate isn’t chosen.

Many of us have experienced that kind of blow. What sets Cindy apart is HOW she waited for God to work it all out…and she did so with wisdom and grace. Cindy took time to grieve the loss, care for herself and her family, and then like a good ‘ole girl always does, she pulled her bootstraps up and went to work toward making her dreams come true. And while we don’t always understand God’s timing or His ways, if we remember to grow in the process, the harvest comes. Today Cindy has that job she was meant for. She was elected by the people of Talladega County and she’s doing an amazing job. I’d say that’s proof in the pudding that she’s where she’s supposed to be. Partly because of the “way” she waited for it to happen.

Personally, I don’t always have the patience that my friends Beth and Cindy have. I want things to happen now. In my time and in my way. I’m probably not alone, don’t you ever feel that way? As I’m getting older, hopefully I’m becoming a bit more patient. When I remember that God is orchestrating all the details in my life, I don’t have to be anxious about trying to make things happen faster or my way. Rushing and anxiety go hand in hand, and it’s hard to find my True North when I focus on making things happen in my time vs. God’s time. I have to remember that the best growth takes place in the HOW moments. If I remember that there is a holy freedom in letting go and letting God take the lead, I regain a sense of peace that passes all understanding. And patience isn’t just easier, it becomes a strength.

Because God gives us the holy grace to fulfill our purposes in life. By the way, when I can’t find patience on my own, I’m learning to turn to God for His grace that will always see me through. His way, His time, right? For example, they say that life imitates art, or art imitates life. That depends on who you ask. Sort of like the “which comes first debate, the egg or the chicken. Either way, I love art. Especially music and movies. Bob Marley once said, “Beginnings are usually scary, and endings are usually sad, but its everything in between that makes it all worth living.” Bob is spot on there.

The movie Hope Floats is one of my favorites. I feel like part of my life mimics it. Sandra Bullock’s character, Birdie, becomes a single mom when life doesn’t go like she thought it would. The movie centers around Birdie’s relationships with everyone in her life. I really relate to the storyline with her mom, her father’s illness and raising her daughter as a single mom (and I’m still “patiently” waiting for Harry Connick’s character, “Justin Matese” to show up, haha!) There are moments of simple joy throughout that movie, but also moments of loss and opportunities for the characters to experience God’s grace and deeper joy. That kind of joy doesn’t always happen immediately. Sometimes it takes going through those seasons when it looks like your olives aren’t growing to truly experience the joy of the harvest. But we can joyfully be who God created us to be. Because the olive crop will return. And the “Justins” do show up. And along the way we can find our True North in the process.

So, when I have trouble believing that the “growth takes place in how I wait” I recall my favorite quote from Hope Floats. It’s the last scene when Birdee laughs as she tells her daughter, Bernice, what her momma always told her: “Beginnings are scary, endings are usually sad, but it is the middle that counts the most. You need to remember that when you find yourself at the beginning.” Life is filled with new beginnings, middle seasons, and endings. Just ask any farmer you know. And patience is just part of the process. It is a fruit worth cultivating. Patience involves taking a breath to slow down and appreciate the wait.

Learning to live in the present moment AND enjoying the present moment are the most important parts of the process. After all, the truth is, each day we are given is part of the harvest.

So slow down, squirrel… take a deep breath and simply enjoy this day.