Sense and value of the patience

"Take patience, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the earth : he takes patience with him ... "

"Do not murmur against one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged ..."

"One is a legislator and a judge ... but who are you, who judges your neighbor ?" James 5. 7, 9 and 4. 12

Jacques addresses in his letter many aspects of the daily life of the Christian : he exhorts us here to patience. She finds her motivation in the expectation of the coming of the Lord. To explain it, he takes the example of the farmer who thinks of the harvest to come. He patiently waits for the favorable conditions that will allow the raising of the seed. His patience has nothing to do with resignation or passivity. The comparison with the laborer who is waiting patiently is encouraging, because it underlines the reality of our hope.

For all that, the expectation of this hope, when it lasts, exercises our faith; it could make us complain. Indeed, if we go through difficulties, we run the risk of envying our brothers who seem to have an easy life and to know only the benefits of "the rains of the first and the last season" (Jac 5. 7) ; we also risk discouraging ourselves, exhausting ourselves, losing our joy, and seeing no reason for recognition. Jacques warns us against this tendency so natural to judge others, to compare ourselves with them. In this respect, it must be remembered that we are ignorant of the intimate thoughts that animate our neighbor and the thoughts of God concerning him. God knows everything perfectly and acts supremely with regard to each of his children.

The Apostle Paul invites Timothy to engage in service after him ; he also proposes to us a behavior to adopt, source of peace : "But piety, with the satisfaction, is a great gain" (1 Tim.6.6). Clearly, the apostle offers us to live with Jesus. The sometimes unpleasant circumstances we encounter will not necessarily go away; but living them in the proximity of our Lord, we see them differently and we can then taste "the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" (Phil 4: 7). This serenity astonishes the men of this world when they observe it in a believer who is going through a great trial. And for this believer, the peace he experiences remains a wonderful mystery.

Source (Pleasing the Lord)