Patience...from Bug

In a "Me, myself, and I" centered society, patience is easily forgotten, even to believers. Personally, most of the time even the mention of the word evokes an annoyed response inside our minds. Picture this: you are living in a house full of females and it's a busy Sunday morning. Unfortunatly, one of the gals has been locked in the bathroom for fourty-five minutes and everyone else is left outside waiting. As they desperatly pound on the door the only reply they receive is "patience is a virtue!" yelled over the racket of the hair dryer and the blaring radio. In the end, tempers flare and nerves are frayed. (Ya, this was a real life scenerio....'cept it was me in the bathroom. LOL. *sheepish grin*) Okay, I'm sure all of us have experianced something similar and had the same reaction. Yes, we blow the whole patience-thing daily!
Patience, however, is the giving up of our own rights for that of someone else. We all have this in-born surge to justify ourselves and demand what WE DESERVE! However, this is not what God desires our attitudes to be like. In the scenario explained above, both of the parties involved failed to show patience. The people outside the door could have waited quietly for the person to be finished instead of demanding entrance NOW. However, the person hogging the bathroom could have displayed patience by setting aside what they had to do for a moment in order to serve the others. Everyday moment of our lives calls for a conscious decision to let ourselves fall into the second place category. Phil. 2:3-4 says: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceat, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." We can't be loving if we don't have patience!
Okay, now that we'ev looked at how to be patient to others, let's look at how we can show patience in our relationship with God. I'm the kind of person that wants to know exactly what I'm going to do in my life, where I'm going to do it, and how I'm going to get to there. Unfortunatly, God has not given us a detailed outline of exactly what we'll be doing and when we'll be doing it. Pateince is the ability to wait for God's timing and trust that his plan is perfect. In these past few months I've experianced a lot of things falling apart and it's hard not to want to pound the gates of heaven demanding why??!! However, God calls us to wait for his perfect timing. He calls us to wait for his better plan...his better timing...and ultimatly, his better purpose. I'd like to end with a quote from "My Utmost for Hs Highest":

"Patience is more than endurance.

A saint's life is in the hands of God like a bow and an arrow in the hands of an archer.

God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains,

and every now and again the saint says-

"I cannot stand anymore."

God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight,

then He lets fly.

Trust yourself in God's hands.

Maintain your relationship with Jesus Christ by the patience of faith.

"Though He slay me, yet I will wait for Him."

Show patience in love to those around you, and wait for God's perfect purpose.