When I was in college, I took up running and soon fell in love. After dancing for 14 years, I was looking for a new fitness hobby to combine with weightlifting. I would set a new goal each year, always to run farther and faster than I had the year before. I remember a couple of summers ago, I was feeling particularly ambitious. Not only did I want to run my annual half marathon distance, but I wanted to go for the full marathon too. 

With fitness endeavors, our bodies can usually do more than our minds think we can achieve. Fitness is incredibly mental – if you simply visualize yourself running well and finishing strong, it’s more likely you will achieve your goal. For running, training yourself mentally is just as important as training yourself physically. 

So mentally, I prepared myself to run that longer distance, and I believed I could achieve it. I rolled out of bed on a September morning, ready to just keep running forever and ever. Why did I think I could do it? My mind was ready, but my body was not. I had prepared mentally, but not physically. I had bad running form, and I had no idea what to do with fuel, water, or electrolytes. My impatience took over and I forged ahead with my plan….but soon discovered that the time just wasn’t right. 

Like so many of us, I tend to be an impatient person. When something seems like it should be happening – some dream or life milestone – but it looks like nothing is moving forward, we get frustrated. We rely on the dreams and visions we create for ourselves, expecting life to unfold linearly. We compare our life timelines to those of others and may even question why something good happens for our friends but not for us. This type of comparison with our peers becomes a breeding ground for bitterness and discontent in our hearts.  

One of the ironies of patience is that once we get the thing we waited for, our satisfaction is temporary and our joy is fleeting. The longer we wait for what we desire, we start to idolize what we want. We seek fulfillment in the things we desire, expecting them to satisfy us and get disappointed when they come up short. Even the best things in this life are not enough to truly satisfy our deepest longings. 

Another irony of waiting is that when we do get what we want, sometimes we have to do even more waiting. For example, imagine you always wanted to be an award-winning pumpkin farmer. After saving your money, you order specialty pumpkin seeds and supplies. After waiting a month for them to arrive, your head out to your plot and start planting. Then you water and…..wait a few more months for your pumpkins. Learning patience is never a one-and-done lesson – it’s a process. Even if we get the thing we desire, we must remain steadfast and patient through the process of growth that comes along with it. 

When we get what we were waiting for, it often looks different than we had pictured. We can get so focused on our life timeline, our goals, dreams, and visions that we leave no opportunity for God to be creative – for Him to enter into our lives and act as the artist He is, creating a masterpiece out of our brokenness. I think that sometimes, God is trying to bless us, He’s trying to give us the thing that we desire, but we miss it. Why? We miss it because it looks different than what we had in mind. By taking a new perspective, we see that the ways God moves in our lives and blesses us are better than we could have ever imagined (Eph. 3:20). 

The value of patience is that it helps us see the beauty in the present. It helps us become more aware of where God may be working as we wait – often behind the scenes. By developing gratitude for where we are in life right now, our bitterness and dissatisfaction with our lives starts to wane. This doesn’t mean we abandon our dreams, stop setting goals or imaging what could lie beyond the next horizon. What it means is that instead of waiting in bitterness, resentment, and agony, we find ourselves waiting with hope and great expectation. 

When I look back at my life, I see countless times where God was teaching me patience. Now, I can see that He was working out His plan for my life, in His perfect timing – behind the scenes. I know that God brought me through the right experiences and into specific places that I needed to go to in order to become who He wants me to be. He brought the right people into my life to affirm, teach, challenge, and walk with me. Reflecting on what God has done in my past helps me see the present and the future in a similar way. Even when I don’t see it, God is at work in my life.

Don’t get me wrong – being patient is HARD. It’s rarely easy or enjoyable. More often, trying to be patient is difficult, heavy, or even painful. The things we desire in this life can turn into all-consuming thoughts, pushing out our desire to be with God and become more like Him. Yet God’s word promises us that He will, “Keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast.” (Isa 26:3). 

We learn to be patient by seeking this steadfastness – by growing our habits of prayer, of spending time with God, and focusing our minds on Him. We believe and meditate on the truth that God does not withhold anything good from those He loves (Matt. 7:9-11). With time, we can see that God blesses us in His perfect timing. 

Over time, I’ve learned a lot more about running in the years since my first marathon attempt. I’ve improved my form, strengthened my muscles, and learned about the importance of fuel and water. In the end, what it takes to prepare for a marathon is patience. You have to commit to the hours of unseen work, mile after mile, building the stamina that you will rely on during the race. You have to trust the preparation process and wait until the time is right. To run well in a physical marathon or in the spiritual race of following Jesus, our ability to be patient lies in our confidence in Christ. 

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (1 Cor. 9:24-25) 

Related posts:

Why I Run: https://exploringexperince.blog/?s=run

Working All Things For Good: https://exploringexperince.blog/2019/05/08/working-all-things-for-good/