7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. – James 5:7-8
We may all know that patience is a virtue, but I’m not we sure we fully understand that until we have a toddler running around the house, getting into everything, coloring on the walls, and generally just moving around as a destructive cyclone in a cute little package.
Samantha and I have now been through that stage several times, and I wish I could say we were more prepared each time, but that’s not reality. We may have learned somethings by fire, but patience takes much practice, and even the most calm of people can lose their cool from time to time. Truth is patience like all things, comes with time.
As James writes to the fellow Christians, he tells us that the best of things takes time. Yes, we can be very excited for what is about to come, and maybe we even want Jesus to come back five minutes ago, however, we must wait for the timing to be just right. This is what is considered Kairos timing or God’s timing. Just like we can’t rush to pick the choice fruit before it’s perfectly ripe, we must wait on the things to come in their own time.
There is joy in waiting, however. We can find this joy by letting the excitement build, and knowing that when the time comes it will be the most joyful time of all. There is also great joy in sharing our excitement with others. This was very much part of the excitement that the early church had in sharing the gospel, because this good news meant better days were coming, the best was yet to come. Still, today, millennia later, we know this same truth. The best is yet to come. So, take a moment to think about the very best that is coming, our Lord Jesus Christ, oh how we can hardly wait for that day, but the anticipation of it only expands our hope, peace, and joy in His coming love.
Grace & Peace,
Sam