Patience

Thursday September 9, 2021

Patience

The farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth. James 5: 7

The modern world is characterized by the instant, the "everything, and now" with the minimum of effort

- The mobile phone allows us to be contacted at any time, wherever we are.

- The student puts a complex operation on his calculator and the result is displayed instantly.

- Internet provides almost immediately all kinds of information and answers to the questions asked !

- The housewife in a hurry buys a ready-made meal just around the corner.

We could multiply the examples. This culture of the immediate at the slightest effort influences us and could make us believe that it is the same in our spiritual life.

Fortunately, God calls us to order by the rhythms of nature that cannot be accelerated. It still takes 9 months of slow growth to bring a fetus to birth. The cultivator always needs a lot of patience before seeing the harvest come : he does not reap the day he sows ! Not to mention the sick person (who is also called "patient") who must slowly let the wound heal or the remedies act... In the field of Christian life, there are no shortcuts either.

We always need patience and effort to search the scriptures, to persevere in prayer, to share and walk with our brothers and sisters. It takes time to grow : the spiritual growth of our souls is slow growth. It also takes a lot of patience to get through hardships. And the testing of our faith produces patience (James 1: 3).

We always need patience and perseverance to sow the good news of the Gospel among our contemporaries. We also need patience and effort to wait for the fulfillment of the Church's hope : the coming of the Lord who will erase all the evils of this earth !

Let us be patient like the farmer. Let us accept the Lord's deadlines, but without crossing our arms : there is a lot of work to ensure a good harvest.

Yes! patience and effort are certainly worth it ! It is at this price that the kingdom of God advances.

Source (Pleasing the Lord)