As a recap, here are the steps I am taking each month for each fruit. These will be continuous throughout my project:
- Ask God to show me how to have peace (be joyful, be generous, etc.) each morning.
- Reflect on that day’s cultivation each evening, and journal thoughts.
- Memorize a Bible verse for each fruit.
- Try and turn my mind continually to the fruit I’m cultivating.
- Read at least two books on each fruit (or…attempt to, at least).
Now onto patience specifically…
To [CULTIVATE] PATIENCE in July, I plan to:
- Pinpoint the triggers that lead to impatience
- Stop the physical part of impatience (huffing, crossing arms, checking phone, etc.)
- Remember most stressors are answers to prayers
- Take 48 hours to think about purchases over $50
- Keep a list of things I love about right now
- Check my expectations
These are the two books I’ve chosen to read this month:
- When God takes too long: learning to thrive during life’s delays by Joseph Bentz.
- Christian patience: the strength & discipline of the soul. A course of lectures by Archbishop Ullath
Anyone want to participate in any of the action items with me? Let us learn to wait with patient hearts!
OMG! I love Joseph Bentz! I’ve never actually read any of his work, but he was Intro to Lit professor my freshman year of college. We called him JB and called ourselves the Wolfe Pack (he’s a big fan of Thomas Wolfe). Oh, the benefits of small, private schools, to have that kind of relationship with a professor. Love him! Let me know how his book is, if it’s your copy I’d love to borrow it after you’re done!
It’s not my copy, but I’m already about 1/4 of the way through it — you can totally borrow it if you want something to read while you’re feeding my nephew! :)
One of my good friends said “I never pray for patience, because God doesn’t give me patience, he gives me places to EXERCISE patience.” I tend to agree. So when I need patience I do things to exercise. Letting people go in front of me in line at the store. Offering to babysit toddlers. :)
Did you ever listen to the Music Machine as a kid? They have a great song about Herbert the Snail who learned patience the hard way. It’s very catchy and a fun way to remind yourself when you’re steaming.
I let her borrow the copy of The Music Machine we bought for the kids! My husband I I both grew up listening to it.
That’s such a good reminder — it’s an exercise! I’ll have to remember to look at it that way. :)
I was given a great revelation by God about the opposites of the fruits of the Spirit and how they apply to doing foster care, as I am a foster parent, and I decided to look up more about them online, this is the first site I clicked on, your explanation of the opposite of patience is spot on with the revelation God gave me, just thought you might want to know that.