Be Ready To Be Patient
Be Ready To Be Patient
Be Ready To Be Patient
Be Ready To Be Patient
Action, urgency, and readiness are key words at work and in life. Everyone wants what they want on time, right now, or yesterday! However, as humans, one of our deepest needs is patience.
Action, urgency, and readiness are key words at work and in life. Everyone wants what they want on time, right now, or yesterday!
First movers have an advantage and businesses that want to keep their customers must serve their urgent needs. The purpose of business is provision for people; therefore, it’s important to deliver on people’s wants and needs at the right time.
People Need Patience
As humans, one of our deepest needs is patience. We all can think back to scenarios in the last week where we wish we would have been more patient with our clients and our coworkers. Some of us may have needed to be more patient with inanimate objects like our computers too.
And, at some point, all of us have needed to be more patient with ourselves. Our biggest achievements, personal development, and growth as leaders have all required patience.
If this is true, why is patience so rarely talked about as a key leadership attribute? This should not be so!
God is Patient
After all, we are made, sustained, and loved by a God who is very patient with us. We might sometimes wonder what God is up to with so much pain and suffering in the world (even at work), and yet it has everything to do with His grace and mercy for us. God is not slow to act. Instead, He is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
The person who is the most patient with you and me is God! In great patience He sent His only Son, so we would know Him and be perfectly reconciled to Him (Colossians 1:19-20). James, the brother of Jesus, wrote this about patience.
“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” - James 5:7-11.
God Wants Us To Learn Patience
In an incredibly insightful sermon Tim Keller explains what true patience is, why it is so crucial to have patience, and how we can learn to be patient. Here are some of his most perceptive and helpful comments on what God has to say about patience.
We live in a culture that does not value patience. It is almost a culture of impatience. If a company comes along and can get it to you in 3 days and another company can get it to you in 2 days, the first business will be out of business. In a sense, the economy cultivates impatience.
We live in a culture that does not value patience, but, of course, all ancient cultures did. Why? Because impatient people are shallow. Impatient people are reckless. Impatient people make stupid choices. Impatient people miss all sorts of opportunities. Isn’t that right? And, isn’t it true that all of us have some painful memories about the times where our impatience really brought about a big loss in our lives?
So yes, patience is important — even though we live in a culture that does not really value it.
Patience With People
The first verses, James 5:7-9, he uses the illustration of a farmer. And, farmers show patience. Why? Because farmers plant and they don't expect a harvest right away. Farmers also can't reap too soon; so it’s an example of patience. The first kind of patience literally means longsuffering.
An example of the lack of this kind of patience is immediately mentioned in verse 9, grumbling. “Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters.” That’s a lack of patience, don’t grumble. What’s grumbling? When people are frustrating or disappointing to you, how do you respond? Grumbling can be done outwardly, but in many cases you just do it inside. Grumbling is responding to people who disappoint or frustrate you with resentment, negativity, or cynicism.
Now, why is that a failure of longsuffering? Why is grumbling a lack of patience? Here’s a reason, grumbling means you’ve given up on people. Instead of continuing to love them and care for them you give up on them and write them off. This is really important to see. Most of us can recognize a real grudge. Most of us recognize when we hate somebody. If someone upsets us and we get angry with them and we have a grudge, that’s one thing and that’s bad of course. That’s also a lack of patience. But grumbling is much more broad, subtle, and common. Therefore, grumbling is much more dangerous.
You see, grumbling means that because of the way someone has frustrated you or disappointed, disillusioned, or infuriated you, you’ve written them off. You are not longsuffering, you are detached. You are not sticking with them. You are cynical about them. You are grumpy about them.
So, first of all, this aspect of patience is patience with people. Patience is when people are frustrating and disappointing to you, you don't give up on them. You forgive them and you are gracious to them. But that’s not all of what patience is.
Patience With Circumstances
One aspect of patience is patience with disappointing and difficult people, but the second paragraph shows us another aspect of patience — patience in difficult circumstances. Now, Job is the example here.
His problem was how he was being treated by life and God. He didn’t experience difficult people, he experienced tragic circumstances. There was a disaster that wiped out all his wealth and another disaster that wiped out all his children. Then he got a disease and lost his health. He lost his health, children, and wealth. That’s Job.
One aspect of patience is patience with difficult people, the other aspect is patience with difficult circumstances. When circumstances are terrible, when life goes wrong, when circumstances are disappointing and infuriating, patience is to unflinchingly live the way you ought to live and do the things you ought to do — be the person you ought to be anyway. To hyper-stand is to stay put and not give up.
So here’s the 2 aspects of patience according to James. Patience includes patience with people, responding to difficult people with forgiveness and grace. And, patience is also patience with difficult circumstances and the will of God, responding when circumstances are difficult with courage and trust. Those are the 2 aspects of patience.
Why Patience is Crucial
Now, why is this such a big deal? At the common sense level, most people would be thinking, “ok, patience is a good thing and impatience is a bad thing. When you are impatient you can make some stupid mistakes. Yeah, at the practical level, I would like to be patient.” But James does not treat patience as something that is just impractical. James depicts this as a terrible evil and sin. In verse 9 it says not to grumble against one another or you will be judged! He says we will be condemned for our impatience!
You say, “Jee wiz, is impatience really that bad?” Yes, here’s why it’s so bad and serious. Every hour of every day you are going to people and circumstances that are frustrating, disappointing, disillusioning, and infuriating. You are going to be very disappointed or infuriated every day with something or someone. And, when it happens, you have to respond in your heart. And, there’s only one of 2 ways to respond when disappointing things happen: you can either trust God or trust yourself.
What does that mean? You can either trust God’s timing, schedule, wisdom or you can trust your timing, your schedule, and what you think should happen. But what does that actually sound like in your heart? Here’s what it sounds like. When really bad stuff happens you talk to yourself and you say, “The Lord he knoweth. The Lord is wise. The Lord is good. I would have never chosen this for myself, but he is. He knows what he’s doing, and I don’t.”
Now, the other thing you can do when bad things happen — instead of trusting God — is you can trust yourself, your wisdom, and what you think should happen. What does this look like? When bad things happen you don’t say, “I’m going to trust myself.” You don’t say that. What you say is this. “Not again! That’s not fair! I can’t believe it! I deserve better than this. What does he or she think they are doing?” That’s what it sounds like to trust yourself.
Every day you are presented with people and circumstances where you have to either trust God or trust yourself and that leads to something. Trusting God leads, eventually, to rest, calm, peace, the ability to forgive. But the more you choose to trust yourself the more you are filled with resentment, self-pity, cynicism, anxiety, restlessness, with ulcers, and eventually heart-attacks.
Do you see why this is so important? Every day and every hour you have the choice of going down one path or the other. And, the path is invisible. It happens in your heart. Yet all those little decisions every day toward more self-absorption, unhappiness, and self-centeredness— toward what C.S. Lewis calls the hell of eternal autobiography. Constantly looking at yourself and what you are getting — always thinking about yourself.
Do you see why patience is so important? Whether you are going to be patient or impatient with the circumstances of today is a battle for your soul and it’s happening inside.
Self-pity feeds on itself and anger feeds on itself. Eventually, you get to the point where you cannot hear anything except your own autobiography. And, what Lewis is saying is that it’s bad enough that people get locked into a prison of self-reference in this life — becoming impatient, self-absorbed, and always unhappy. Even in this life you can be a miserable person, but what if when you die your soul keeps on going, which is what the bible teaches. Eventually it will be hell and your heart is already inclined in that direction. Your heart is not on your side.
Every time something bad happens you have the choice to trust yourself or trust God and trusting yourself is the path to this and your heart is going there unless there is an intervention.
Developing Patience
So what are we going to do about it? How can we develop patience if it’s that important? You develop patience in the present by looking to the past and looking to the future.
Acting in The Present
First of all, you develop patience in the present. Who is our illustration here? It’s Job. He learned patience and perseverance. Why? Because he was suffering, and, from what I can tell, that’s the only way to learn patience — through suffering. But you don’t learn patience from suffering just by being stoic and having a stiff upper lip. That’s not learning patience, it’s hardening your heart.
If you want to see how patience it developed in suffering, look at Psalm 77. It’s not one of the more famous Psalms, but it’s a really instructive Psalm. The Psalmist starts out by describing all the problems he sees and then suddenly he says, “but I will meditate.” He’s freaking out and then he says, “I will meditate” — which means that hard things are happening but I’m going to process them through prayer and meditation. I’m going to think about the truth of God until I get patient.
Reflecting On The Past
If you want to learn patience, look at Job but also look at the one to whom Job points. Jesus Christ is the true Job because only Jesus Christ is the absolutely perfectly innocent sufferer. Only Jesus lived a perfect life, only Jesus was totally innocent, only Jesus loved the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind and strength and loved his neighbor as himself fully and completely. Only Jesus Christ deserved a great life and he got a terrible life. He was misunderstood. He was poor. He was rejected. He was betrayed and denied. And, finally, he was arrested and on trial for trumped up charges, tortured, and killed. Even his father abandoned him.
But through all that agony and pain Jesus was perfectly patient. He was the only innocent sufferer. You see, Jesus was the true Job. He was the only one who deserved a great life and got a terrible life, but during that time he was perfectly patient, absolutely patient. All the forces of darkness and evil were coming down on him and he stood his ground. That’s patience.
Why can you and I be forgiven for our impatience? Here’s why. When Jesus went to the cross he died for our sins. He took the punishment we deserve. That’s the general, but let me give it to you more specifically. Jesus Christ, through his perfect patience, atoned for our impatience so that the Father can be endlessly patient with us, never giving up on us, never letting us down, or pulling back from us — even when we fail him.
Jesus Christ, through his perfect patience, atoned for our impatience so that God can be infinitely patient with us. You talk about longsuffering, look at Jesus Christ. Oh my goodness! You talk about holding his ground — even when all the forces of darkness were coming down. Now, take that and meditate on it. When troubles are happening take that and what you can think is this: if Jesus Christ was perfectly patient when God was actually abandoning him and he did it for me, then I can be patient in these situations for him.
If you see Jesus Christ atoning for your impatience and saving you through his infinite patience, ultimate suffering, the true Job, that will make you into someone who can be patient and not afraid. Jesus, through his perfect patience, atoned for you so God could be infinitely patient with you to the end — no matter how you live. Even when you fall down he will be patient with you because Jesus did that. If you meditate on that, it will send you down the right road toward that right end state.
Looking Toward The Future
And, here’s one more thing. When troubles happen, you meditate and pray. Meditate first of all on what Jesus Christ did in the past, but, lastly, what he’s doing in the future. He’s coming again. Be patient because the Lord is coming.
He tells you the ending of the novel! What’s the novel? The history of the world. He tells you the ending so that you can handle the suspense of the middle part. Yeah, it’s tough and it’s difficult, but you know that in the end justice will be done. You know in the end you will be fulfilled, and that’s the reason he says to be patient. Why? Because the Lord is coming.
How do you get patience? One is you look at God the creator and let it humble you because impatience is a lack of humility. Say, “I don’t know.” Secondly, look at God not just as creator but as redeemer, atoning for you through the cost of the cross. That warms your heart to love for others because impatience is also a lack of love — a lack of love for God and a lack of love for other people. But, thirdly, look forward. Get enough hope. Realize that everything is going to be ok in the end because impatience is also a lack of hope. It’s a lack of humility, it’s a lack of love, and it’s a lack of hope. But God is creator, God is redeemer, and God is coming again as the world healer. Meditate on that when you face troubled times and you will become a person of patience.
3 Ways To Start Being Patient Today
Consider all the patience that has been extended to you by parents, friends, bosses, customers, coworkers, and most importantly God. You would not be where you are without the patience of others. Who in your work life needs patience right now? To get practical about growing in patience, begin by writing some names for each of these 3 categories:
- Humility: Who needs you to humble yourself by not correcting them? Who needs you to just listen? Who needs you to not be right and give them a chance, even if they fail?
- Love: Who needs you to stay late and help them? Who needs you to not correct them for their mistake? Who needs you to show them how to do things instead of telling them how to do things?
- Hope: Who needs encouragement today? Who needs to know they are valuable? Who needs to know that it’s all going to work out, even if today seems like a failure?
All these things have been done for you by a God whose patience is unending! Now, go and do likewise!
Resources
Worksheet: View and download
Article: Business is Provision For People
Action, urgency, and readiness are key words at work and in life. Everyone wants what they want on time, right now, or yesterday!
First movers have an advantage and businesses that want to keep their customers must serve their urgent needs. The purpose of business is provision for people; therefore, it’s important to deliver on people’s wants and needs at the right time.
People Need Patience
As humans, one of our deepest needs is patience. We all can think back to scenarios in the last week where we wish we would have been more patient with our clients and our coworkers. Some of us may have needed to be more patient with inanimate objects like our computers too.
And, at some point, all of us have needed to be more patient with ourselves. Our biggest achievements, personal development, and growth as leaders have all required patience.
If this is true, why is patience so rarely talked about as a key leadership attribute? This should not be so!
God is Patient
After all, we are made, sustained, and loved by a God who is very patient with us. We might sometimes wonder what God is up to with so much pain and suffering in the world (even at work), and yet it has everything to do with His grace and mercy for us. God is not slow to act. Instead, He is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
The person who is the most patient with you and me is God! In great patience He sent His only Son, so we would know Him and be perfectly reconciled to Him (Colossians 1:19-20). James, the brother of Jesus, wrote this about patience.
“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” - James 5:7-11.
God Wants Us To Learn Patience
In an incredibly insightful sermon Tim Keller explains what true patience is, why it is so crucial to have patience, and how we can learn to be patient. Here are some of his most perceptive and helpful comments on what God has to say about patience.
We live in a culture that does not value patience. It is almost a culture of impatience. If a company comes along and can get it to you in 3 days and another company can get it to you in 2 days, the first business will be out of business. In a sense, the economy cultivates impatience.
We live in a culture that does not value patience, but, of course, all ancient cultures did. Why? Because impatient people are shallow. Impatient people are reckless. Impatient people make stupid choices. Impatient people miss all sorts of opportunities. Isn’t that right? And, isn’t it true that all of us have some painful memories about the times where our impatience really brought about a big loss in our lives?
So yes, patience is important — even though we live in a culture that does not really value it.
Patience With People
The first verses, James 5:7-9, he uses the illustration of a farmer. And, farmers show patience. Why? Because farmers plant and they don't expect a harvest right away. Farmers also can't reap too soon; so it’s an example of patience. The first kind of patience literally means longsuffering.
An example of the lack of this kind of patience is immediately mentioned in verse 9, grumbling. “Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters.” That’s a lack of patience, don’t grumble. What’s grumbling? When people are frustrating or disappointing to you, how do you respond? Grumbling can be done outwardly, but in many cases you just do it inside. Grumbling is responding to people who disappoint or frustrate you with resentment, negativity, or cynicism.
Now, why is that a failure of longsuffering? Why is grumbling a lack of patience? Here’s a reason, grumbling means you’ve given up on people. Instead of continuing to love them and care for them you give up on them and write them off. This is really important to see. Most of us can recognize a real grudge. Most of us recognize when we hate somebody. If someone upsets us and we get angry with them and we have a grudge, that’s one thing and that’s bad of course. That’s also a lack of patience. But grumbling is much more broad, subtle, and common. Therefore, grumbling is much more dangerous.
You see, grumbling means that because of the way someone has frustrated you or disappointed, disillusioned, or infuriated you, you’ve written them off. You are not longsuffering, you are detached. You are not sticking with them. You are cynical about them. You are grumpy about them.
So, first of all, this aspect of patience is patience with people. Patience is when people are frustrating and disappointing to you, you don't give up on them. You forgive them and you are gracious to them. But that’s not all of what patience is.
Patience With Circumstances
One aspect of patience is patience with disappointing and difficult people, but the second paragraph shows us another aspect of patience — patience in difficult circumstances. Now, Job is the example here.
His problem was how he was being treated by life and God. He didn’t experience difficult people, he experienced tragic circumstances. There was a disaster that wiped out all his wealth and another disaster that wiped out all his children. Then he got a disease and lost his health. He lost his health, children, and wealth. That’s Job.
One aspect of patience is patience with difficult people, the other aspect is patience with difficult circumstances. When circumstances are terrible, when life goes wrong, when circumstances are disappointing and infuriating, patience is to unflinchingly live the way you ought to live and do the things you ought to do — be the person you ought to be anyway. To hyper-stand is to stay put and not give up.
So here’s the 2 aspects of patience according to James. Patience includes patience with people, responding to difficult people with forgiveness and grace. And, patience is also patience with difficult circumstances and the will of God, responding when circumstances are difficult with courage and trust. Those are the 2 aspects of patience.
Why Patience is Crucial
Now, why is this such a big deal? At the common sense level, most people would be thinking, “ok, patience is a good thing and impatience is a bad thing. When you are impatient you can make some stupid mistakes. Yeah, at the practical level, I would like to be patient.” But James does not treat patience as something that is just impractical. James depicts this as a terrible evil and sin. In verse 9 it says not to grumble against one another or you will be judged! He says we will be condemned for our impatience!
You say, “Jee wiz, is impatience really that bad?” Yes, here’s why it’s so bad and serious. Every hour of every day you are going to people and circumstances that are frustrating, disappointing, disillusioning, and infuriating. You are going to be very disappointed or infuriated every day with something or someone. And, when it happens, you have to respond in your heart. And, there’s only one of 2 ways to respond when disappointing things happen: you can either trust God or trust yourself.
What does that mean? You can either trust God’s timing, schedule, wisdom or you can trust your timing, your schedule, and what you think should happen. But what does that actually sound like in your heart? Here’s what it sounds like. When really bad stuff happens you talk to yourself and you say, “The Lord he knoweth. The Lord is wise. The Lord is good. I would have never chosen this for myself, but he is. He knows what he’s doing, and I don’t.”
Now, the other thing you can do when bad things happen — instead of trusting God — is you can trust yourself, your wisdom, and what you think should happen. What does this look like? When bad things happen you don’t say, “I’m going to trust myself.” You don’t say that. What you say is this. “Not again! That’s not fair! I can’t believe it! I deserve better than this. What does he or she think they are doing?” That’s what it sounds like to trust yourself.
Every day you are presented with people and circumstances where you have to either trust God or trust yourself and that leads to something. Trusting God leads, eventually, to rest, calm, peace, the ability to forgive. But the more you choose to trust yourself the more you are filled with resentment, self-pity, cynicism, anxiety, restlessness, with ulcers, and eventually heart-attacks.
Do you see why this is so important? Every day and every hour you have the choice of going down one path or the other. And, the path is invisible. It happens in your heart. Yet all those little decisions every day toward more self-absorption, unhappiness, and self-centeredness— toward what C.S. Lewis calls the hell of eternal autobiography. Constantly looking at yourself and what you are getting — always thinking about yourself.
Do you see why patience is so important? Whether you are going to be patient or impatient with the circumstances of today is a battle for your soul and it’s happening inside.
Self-pity feeds on itself and anger feeds on itself. Eventually, you get to the point where you cannot hear anything except your own autobiography. And, what Lewis is saying is that it’s bad enough that people get locked into a prison of self-reference in this life — becoming impatient, self-absorbed, and always unhappy. Even in this life you can be a miserable person, but what if when you die your soul keeps on going, which is what the bible teaches. Eventually it will be hell and your heart is already inclined in that direction. Your heart is not on your side.
Every time something bad happens you have the choice to trust yourself or trust God and trusting yourself is the path to this and your heart is going there unless there is an intervention.
Developing Patience
So what are we going to do about it? How can we develop patience if it’s that important? You develop patience in the present by looking to the past and looking to the future.
Acting in The Present
First of all, you develop patience in the present. Who is our illustration here? It’s Job. He learned patience and perseverance. Why? Because he was suffering, and, from what I can tell, that’s the only way to learn patience — through suffering. But you don’t learn patience from suffering just by being stoic and having a stiff upper lip. That’s not learning patience, it’s hardening your heart.
If you want to see how patience it developed in suffering, look at Psalm 77. It’s not one of the more famous Psalms, but it’s a really instructive Psalm. The Psalmist starts out by describing all the problems he sees and then suddenly he says, “but I will meditate.” He’s freaking out and then he says, “I will meditate” — which means that hard things are happening but I’m going to process them through prayer and meditation. I’m going to think about the truth of God until I get patient.
Reflecting On The Past
If you want to learn patience, look at Job but also look at the one to whom Job points. Jesus Christ is the true Job because only Jesus Christ is the absolutely perfectly innocent sufferer. Only Jesus lived a perfect life, only Jesus was totally innocent, only Jesus loved the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind and strength and loved his neighbor as himself fully and completely. Only Jesus Christ deserved a great life and he got a terrible life. He was misunderstood. He was poor. He was rejected. He was betrayed and denied. And, finally, he was arrested and on trial for trumped up charges, tortured, and killed. Even his father abandoned him.
But through all that agony and pain Jesus was perfectly patient. He was the only innocent sufferer. You see, Jesus was the true Job. He was the only one who deserved a great life and got a terrible life, but during that time he was perfectly patient, absolutely patient. All the forces of darkness and evil were coming down on him and he stood his ground. That’s patience.
Why can you and I be forgiven for our impatience? Here’s why. When Jesus went to the cross he died for our sins. He took the punishment we deserve. That’s the general, but let me give it to you more specifically. Jesus Christ, through his perfect patience, atoned for our impatience so that the Father can be endlessly patient with us, never giving up on us, never letting us down, or pulling back from us — even when we fail him.
Jesus Christ, through his perfect patience, atoned for our impatience so that God can be infinitely patient with us. You talk about longsuffering, look at Jesus Christ. Oh my goodness! You talk about holding his ground — even when all the forces of darkness were coming down. Now, take that and meditate on it. When troubles are happening take that and what you can think is this: if Jesus Christ was perfectly patient when God was actually abandoning him and he did it for me, then I can be patient in these situations for him.
If you see Jesus Christ atoning for your impatience and saving you through his infinite patience, ultimate suffering, the true Job, that will make you into someone who can be patient and not afraid. Jesus, through his perfect patience, atoned for you so God could be infinitely patient with you to the end — no matter how you live. Even when you fall down he will be patient with you because Jesus did that. If you meditate on that, it will send you down the right road toward that right end state.
Looking Toward The Future
And, here’s one more thing. When troubles happen, you meditate and pray. Meditate first of all on what Jesus Christ did in the past, but, lastly, what he’s doing in the future. He’s coming again. Be patient because the Lord is coming.
He tells you the ending of the novel! What’s the novel? The history of the world. He tells you the ending so that you can handle the suspense of the middle part. Yeah, it’s tough and it’s difficult, but you know that in the end justice will be done. You know in the end you will be fulfilled, and that’s the reason he says to be patient. Why? Because the Lord is coming.
How do you get patience? One is you look at God the creator and let it humble you because impatience is a lack of humility. Say, “I don’t know.” Secondly, look at God not just as creator but as redeemer, atoning for you through the cost of the cross. That warms your heart to love for others because impatience is also a lack of love — a lack of love for God and a lack of love for other people. But, thirdly, look forward. Get enough hope. Realize that everything is going to be ok in the end because impatience is also a lack of hope. It’s a lack of humility, it’s a lack of love, and it’s a lack of hope. But God is creator, God is redeemer, and God is coming again as the world healer. Meditate on that when you face troubled times and you will become a person of patience.
3 Ways To Start Being Patient Today
Consider all the patience that has been extended to you by parents, friends, bosses, customers, coworkers, and most importantly God. You would not be where you are without the patience of others. Who in your work life needs patience right now? To get practical about growing in patience, begin by writing some names for each of these 3 categories:
- Humility: Who needs you to humble yourself by not correcting them? Who needs you to just listen? Who needs you to not be right and give them a chance, even if they fail?
- Love: Who needs you to stay late and help them? Who needs you to not correct them for their mistake? Who needs you to show them how to do things instead of telling them how to do things?
- Hope: Who needs encouragement today? Who needs to know they are valuable? Who needs to know that it’s all going to work out, even if today seems like a failure?
All these things have been done for you by a God whose patience is unending! Now, go and do likewise!
Resources
Worksheet: View and download
Article: Business is Provision For People