Fruit of the Spirit: How to Grow in Patience

James 1:2,3 states, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." So James tells us that the way to become patient is to have our faith tested, to face difficulties of various types. This may not be a traditional Christian Discipline, but to have more patience, we need to practice the spiritual discipline of risk taking.

Matthew 14:25-33 records an event that tested the faith of Peter. He walked on water with Jesus. He did not fully past this test, but neither did he fully fail. If it is certain that we will pass the test, then there is no risk. Those who stayed in the boat did not even take the test. Patience was a hard lesson for Peter, but this event was part of his learning. He took a risk at the command of Jesus.

By the discipline of risk taking, I am not referring to just any type of risk taking. I do not mean that we can learn patience by jumping out of a plane, or rock climbing, or white water rafting. I mean taking risks for the sake of God's kingdom in order to have our faith tested.

This is intentionally putting ourselves outside our comfort zone for the Lord. For it to be a discipline means that we do it on a regular basis. Now, the frequency and the level of risk involved should relate back to how much patience we need to learn.

We also need to recognize that what is a risk for one person is not for another. Different things make different people uncomfortable. Some examples of this type of risk taking: helping in a homeless shelter or soup kitchen, prison ministry, nursing home ministry, other ministries to those on the edge of society (single moms, addicts, HIV infected, orphans, widows, prostitutes, etc. The kind of people that Jesus befriended.), going door to door inviting people to church, open air ministry, short-term mission trips, tent maker ministry, or joining a disaster relief team.