Misc: Good Things Come To Those Who Wait: Incorporating biblical principles into our daily lives.

I was pulling out of the local coffee shop drive-thru & a thought crossed my mind...Good things come to those who wait!

But, I wonder, what does the bible say about waiting/patience? The first verse that comes to mind is James 1:2-3: "Consider it pure joy my brothers, when you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (NIV)
Now, most people apply this to the BIG trails in our lives, the life changers, but what would happen if we applied it to the smaller areas of our lives?

When I am tested, big or small, short-term or long-term, I repeat over & over "Consider it pure joy. Consider it pure joy. Consider it pure joy." Just the first four words remind me that pushing through & not letting negative emotions dictate the outcome will produce good things, blessings big & small.
Slow traffic or worse stop & go- Consider it pure joy.
A room is dirty you just cleaned- Consider if pure joy.
Boss asked you to stay late, again- Consider it pure joy.
Now I'm not saying these things won't get to you & tick you off, but by saying or thinking "Consider it pure joy", you are shifting your thoughts to another area. Your reminding yourself that good will come, maybe not from the situation, but from chilling out & breathing.

Proverbs 14:29 says "A patient man has great understanding, but quick tempered men display folly."  [lack of good sense-Webster] (NIV).

Very few good decision or results are made from hasty decisions. Anger or frustration is not wrong, the actions that come from it tend to be though. When we become impatient, decisions are not thought through & in the end we are usually more frustrated.

A perfect example is the scene if Office Space when Peter is on his way to work in the right lane, but the left lane is the lane that moving. He makes a snap decision & gets in the left lane, which promptly stops & the right lane starts moving, so again he switches. He isn't getting anywhere any faster switching back & forth, he just gets more frustrated.

But that is part of life, isn't it? A series of frustrations, disappointments, & irritations. It is how we deal with them that make the difference.

Proverbs 19:11 says "a mans wisdom gives him patience, its to his glory to overlook an offense." (NIV)

Sure your offended that you were cut off, but try to teach that person a lesson & your the one in the fender bender.  Yell at the check out person for moving to slowly; they feel bad & you feel worse.
Patience is not just meant for the big areas of life, it translates very well into lives smaller, everyday areas too.

Proverbs 16:32 says "Better is a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." (NIV)

I use the Life Application Study Bible & I love it. There are great footnotes at the bottom to give great insight & explanation when you need a little more. Under the notes for vs. 32 it says "Success in business, school, or home life can be ruined by a person who has lost control of his or her temper. So it is a great personal victory to control your temper."

Victories & rewards come in different way; some are tangible, some come as a lesson learned, & others are the ability to handle a similar situation better next time.

My experience with patience today was after waiting for % minutes in the drive-thru after ordering (which is an ETERNITY in drive-thru time), I considered pulling out of lines, as others had & going about my day. But I didn't, I decided to wait, wait without complaining. My reward for waiting & exercises patience was a coffee on the house because the wait was so long. And it was good.