Not every good news is the Gospel

Forget the clock, and let patience have its perfect work (James 1:3-4)
 
Ask yourself, on a scale of 1-10 how patient are you?
 
The saying goes ‘patience is a virtue’, indicating that patience is one’s ability to wait for something to happen without fretting is a necessity. If we could see it, we would not hope for it, therefore there would not be the need to be patient. Romans 8:25.
Unfortunately, we live in a microwave generation that wants everything now and things to happen instantly and finds that even a microwave takes too long. Ultimately patience is a skill we have failed to obtain and for others it a virtue that we have lost overtime because of the pain others have put us through in our relationships.
 
Love is patient. This means if you want to love or be in love you must exercise patience or develop the skill of patience. Or better yet, train with everything it requires setting you’re mindset in this mode. This is necessary for all types of relationships. Singleness is a period that this generation seems to leave to side, or jump over and then head into relationships but without time alone to develop this skill, the truth is we are going to find ourselves jumping from one relationship to another with an unhealed wound or getting with an unsuitable person.
 
Why does patience matter?
 
It could be the difference between your success and failure. Peace or lack of it. Joy and your sorrow. In the context of relationships without patience prior to a relationship or within one, this can result in the failure of it.
 
The clock may be ticking but your eye need not be on time that seems to be flying by, your eye needs to be on God the one who created you and is not bound by time. The key to having patience is to trust in God that he made you and knows what is perfect for you. When it comes to a relationship it is easy to make rash decisions based on temporary feelings especially when you feel your time is up, whereas the Bible is not based on feelings, it is based on truth. Your feelings are merely temporary chemicals with a lifespan of 90 seconds, the rest is self-inflicted; very unreliable.
 
Let us get down to business.
 
You get to a certain age in your life and everyone around you seem to be in a relationship or your family start to ask, ‘when are you getting married?’ or ‘where is your boyfriend?’
 
The problem with these questions is that they cause those who are happy and content to feel there is something wrong with them when there it not and they start to panic. Others want to keep up pretences so are prepared to force a relationship that is just not working, and this is a problem of pride. I’m sure believers know that patience is better than pride (Ecclesiastes 7:8), which is the cause of many downfalls.
 
There is God’s will for your life and your will. God’s will is the best for you and if we desire to find the man destined for us we must be patient in God. As stated in Jeremiah 29:11, God has plans for us to prosper and not harm us. You must trust and believe in the will of God.
Before entering a relationship, we must acknowledge God and be patient in Him to know if it is His will.  
 
Do not let anyone pressure you into getting into a relationship, it is important to take your time and allow God to work on you and to work on the significant other that He is preparing for you. God knows and he sees that you are waiting, he will never let you wait unnecessarily. Therefore, trusting in God is vital for your mental health. He made you and knows what you need, when you need it. If you are not patient for God’s time, you can run yourself ragged, chasing someone that is not meant to be yours and effectively pushing away someone that is meant to be yours. Keep your eye on God and not on the ticking clock. Let the clock tick and your time will strike at the perfect moment. Do not be like Peter and start sinking when he took his focus of Jesus, but don’t worry we can give him credit because he walked on the sea for a little while – bear in mind, walking in the wrong relationship for a while does not mean you will not sink at the end of it. Having patience gives you the opportunity to grow and as the Bible says you will be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (in Christ).
 
Let patience have its perfect work. If we are not patient, the perfect work in your life cannot be done. We live in fast-paced, on demand generation. This is not the nature of God. Everything has a purpose, everything has a season and a time for it to happen, and without patience you may never walk in the fullness of what God has in store for you.

By Victoria Anning

Follow Victoria on Facebook @ Victoria Anning and Instagram @victoriaanning_

Remember: not every good news is the Gospel ! – Miriam Kimani