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Patience Is A Virtue

My baby sister, Joy Noel posted this on her tumblr last week.  I have been asking her to guest blog for me for awhile, and when she asked me if I would consider posting this I welled up a little.  I am so proud to call this little one my sister.  She is so unbelievably mature for her age and she really has an amazing head on her shoulders.  I feel honored to give you a glimpse into her brain and hope she continues to express herself this way and guest blog for me.

So without further ado, here is a piece of Joy's heart. 
Pop over to her tumblr and read what she has to say from time to time. 
She really is a gem.

Patience is a Virture

I must’ve heard this eight million times growing up. My mom would tell me this constantly as I was a very anxious child. I find myself learning the lessons of my youth all over again in a new and revealing way as God is showing me his grace differently than ever before. 

         I was always told, “Joy, when you get to college you are going to change so much.” Or, “The relationships you form in college are the ones that are going to last.” I knew these things to be true but never realized their implications somewhat obviously until now, in experiencing them. Relationships in this stage of life progress so much quicker. I’ve found myself feeling as close with some of my most recent friends as ones I have known my whole life because of a new found level of relatability that I have never experienced before. God is blessing me with so many people who remind me of his grace in such unique and separate ways.

         I have always had a thing for people. They are my reason for waking up in the morning and relationships are what keep me going. I realize I’m different from most in the way that I approach friendships. I am so used to thinking of myself as someone who is good at friendships. But recently God is humbling me and teaching me that loving people well is rooted in Him and nothing else. I want so badly to be able to be an encouragement to people and to show them Christ’s love. In my prayer and devotion for others, often times I feel as though God will lay something or someone on my heart and I am always so eager to be able to effectively show love to those people. However, I am too quick to forget that it is also important to wait on God’s timing. Just because he lays something on my heart doesn’t mean that he wants me to share it right away. Maybe that person is not ready to hear it and if I had waited, it could’ve come at the perfect time. 

         Patience. This brings me back to patience. To waiting on God and trusting that he will bring his work to completion. Patience isn’t only required in waiting, but in journeying also. So often we think of being patient as a stagnant state of being. As a long period of content unclarity. We forget that the journey takes patience. In new found friendships, I am realizing that each one requires a unique type of patience and they are all so different from one another. It is so easy to look at past experiences and try to relate them to current circumstances. But every relationship is unique and that is the beauty of love. God’s love is so different from any love we can give or receive from humanity. It’s perspective and understanding that highlights the nature and uniqueness of that love.

         I’m thankful for the lessons God is teaching me. I’m thankful for the people he is using to teach them to me. I’m thankful for the burdens and struggles he has placed on me. And most of all I’m thankful for salvation which makes all of that possible. 
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