Do you ever feel like you’re losing it??
Do you ever just feel like you’re losing it?? With so much going on, I sure have. COVID, politics, teen girls, financial uncertainty, social media rage, sickness and death, natural disasters, and the list goes on. Sanity can seem like a rare and vanishing natural resource. And recently I’ve just felt “off” with all of it. So recently during my morning time with God, I reflected on my uneasiness, and one word kept coming to mind, “patience.” If you grew up in the 80’s and 90’s like me, you might immediately think of Guns-n-Roses, but that’s not the patience I was thinking of! In fact, one of my favorite bands, U2, sings a song that is very fitting for this conversation, “40.” “40” comes from Psalm 40:1-3, which is where I knew I needed to start digging into God’s Word.
I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry for help. I was sliding down into a miry pit, and he pulled me out. He brought me up out of the mud and dirt. He set my feet on a rock. He gave me a firm place to stand on. He gave me a new song to sing. It is a hymn of praise to our God. Many people will see and have respect for the Lord. They will put their trust in him.
This was exactly how I felt! Sliding down a pit with no firm footing! Out of control and panicky. But God knows when I’m losing it and when I need help. He will help me find solid ground. He will put a new song in my soul. What great words for me to hear. So why stop there? I continued my search for what God had to tell me about “patience” in his Word. This is a summary of what I found:
Four passages spoke to me about God’s patience for us and his desire for patience in our lives. Please look them up and read them, but I have provided my short summary of each.
- Colossians 3:15. God wants peace for me and you.
- I Timothy 1:13-16 – Never forget, God has immense patience for us.
- Luke 10:39-42 – The story of Mary & Martha: God’s priorities for us.
- Psalm 27:14 & 46:10 – Wait, be still.
And these next three passages give us some actionable steps to practice patience.
- · Proverbs 16:32 – It is better to be patient than to fight. What am I fighting? Why? Stop fighting!
- Job 2:13 – Empathy. I don’t need to have an answer for the numerous struggles around me. Sometimes it is the right thing to do to just sit with others as we all experience pain together. God will help us find peace in that, together.
- Matthew 10:8 – Give freely. God has given so much to us, and He encourages us to turn around and freely give to others. Focusing on the needs of others rather than ourselves and how we can freely give of our time and resources can bring great peace to our soul.
- I Thessalonians 5:17 – Never stop praying.
In short, God wants peace and patience in our lives, and He has given us concrete steps to increase that peace through empathy, giving of ourselves, and prayer. What a great roadmap to follow.
Finally, here are some questions that I ask myself during my impatient times that help me identify my source of tension and what I could do about it from a Biblical perspective.
Questions when impatience hits:
- What specifically is causing my impatience?
- What am I afraid of?
- Which Godly techniques can I apply to help me shed my impatience?
Other Scripture you might find encouraging on this topic:
- Ephesians 4:2 – be patient
- I Corinthians 13:4 – love is patient
- Romans 12:12 – when you suffer, be patient
- Romans 8:25 – patience for what we hope for
- Galatians 5:22-23 – fruit of the Spirit
- Psalm 27:14 – wait on the Lord
- James 1:3-4 – your faith will be tested
- Psalm 37:7 – be still and wait patiently
- James 1:19 – be quick to listen, slow to speak
- Isaiah 40:31 – receive new strength
- Lamentations 3:26 – wait patiently
