What’s Your Hurry? How Patience Unlocks the Best Version of Your Life

What’s the Rush?

Is it just me, or have any of you ever felt this way? You’re sitting in traffic, and the light turns green. The person in front of you…just sits there! One second. Two. Three?! They're still not moving! The light is definitely green! “GO!” you scream laying on the horn. It takes all of this to get them to finally start driving…ten miles under the speed limit! Arrrgh!!

I don’t know about you, but this kind of stuff happens to me in so many areas of my life! I typically end up in the slowest line at the grocery store. I show up at the DMV when the line will be the longest. I’m the one pulling onto the freeway right behind the slowest drivers—every time! (Clearly, God’s working on something in me!)

For a lot of you, life feels exactly like this. You’re trying to move. You’re trying to achieve big things, but slowdowns seem to be everywhere! “Why is this taking so long?!” But have you ever stopped to ask yourself, “What’s the rush?” Why are you in such a hurry? 

Young man, you’re in a season where big decisions are on the horizon and coming at you fast. Dating, college, career choices—I’m sure you want to have it all figured out yesterday! It’s one thing to immediately take off after the light turns green, but hurrying big life decisions like these can lead to some serious regrets.

Instead, what if you leaned into patience and trusted God’s timing? You’d be amazed at how much better things turn out when you slow down and wait for God’s best.

The Power in Patience

Patience isn’t sitting back and waiting around for things to happen. It’s about HOW you behave when you have to wait. Are you frustrated and angry (like me at the red light), or can you remain calm and peaceful? A real man of God finds a way to keep himself cool and collected in the face of trying circumstances. 

In First Corinthians, the Bible lists several qualities that demonstrate love to others. Can you guess what’s first on the love list? That’s right—patience. The Bible specifically says, “Love is patient…” (1 Corinthians 13:4). God calls us to patience because when we are, we’re showing love to others.

Waiting well also helps shape our character and prepares us for the things ahead.

Think of it like the process of baking. If you pull the cake out of the oven too soon, it’s disgustingly raw in the middle. Yuck! But if you wait just a little longer, it comes out perfect! Life’s the same way. Waiting for the things you want builds resilience, helps you make better decisions, and allows you to fully appreciate God’s blessings.

Relationship Patience - Build Authentic Connections

Have you ever seen someone jump into a relationship just because they didn’t want to be alone? They just wanted to change their relationship status and post pics. With all of the pressure out there to be booed up, it’s tempting to try to just make something happen. But rushing into love often leads to heartbreak. (Remember that last situationship you were in? How about avoiding that the next time?)

Or what about waiting for sex until marriage? It’s practically unthinkable remain a virgin today! Why? Because most people want pleasure NOW…regardless of what it might cost. Few have the patience to wait and experience the beauty of sex in a committed marriage relationship. But it’s what God wants us to do. My novel, Exactly How It’s `Posed to Be delightfully contrasts the beautiful relationship available to those who wait with the painful drama of rushing into your own thing. (Intrigued? I'll bet you are! Check it out here!)

Waiting and really getting to know someone allows you to build deep, authentic connections. It’s no different than planting a garden. You can’t rush the growing process, but with time and care, something lovely begins growing. By trusting God and remaining patient, you will find deeper, healthier, and more fulfilling relationships.

Trust God’s Perfect Timing 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Maybe you’re waiting for the right person and it feels like it’s taking FOREVER! Or maybe you’re hungry for a promotion at work that you believe you’ve earned. But it just hasn’t materialized yet.

Patiently waiting is never easy, but you must remember that God’s timing is always perfect. (Galatians 6:9) He knows what’s best, even when it doesn’t match your timeline. Trust God and you’ll see how waiting always leads to something amazing!

Patience in Personal Growth - Embrace the Journey

Have you ever thought about what it takes to learn to play an instrument? At first, it’s SO frustrating! Your fingers fumble. Nothing sounds good at all! But with time and practice, you start creating beautiful music. Personal growth in any area of life works the same way. A few examples:

Finances: We all wish our account balances would suddenly add a ton of zeros to the existing number. Poof! But building wealth takes time. You not only need to learn how to make the money, but you need to know how to hang on to it once you have it! How do I keep fees and taxes from stealing my money? How do I handle relatives and fraudsters who want a piece of it? Patiently learning the principles of building and managing wealth pays off in the long run.

As you can see, growth in any area of life is a process that takes time. So patience is mandatory if you want to grow peacefully. 

Overcoming Impatience

By now I’ve convinced you that patience is important. Great! Now the question is HOW? How do I become more patient? How do I learn to wait well?

Here are some practical tips you can use the next time impatience rears its nasty head:

• Pause and pray: This should always be the first step. When impatience is boiling, take a moment to talk to God. Ask Him to help you remain peaceful. Ask Him to help you keep things in perspective.
• Fight the temptation to do your own thing – When you try to make things happen yourself, you could end up with a bigger problem you didn’t bargain for. Just ask Abraham (Genesis 16; Genesis. 21:8-21)
• Pack patience with you – Start every day renewing your mind in the Word. Tell yourself “Jesus lives in me so I have patience in me! I am patient!” Prep your thinking before you leave the house—in essence taking patience with you as you go.
• Slow down – Many times we get impatient because we’re running late which causes us to rush. Stop trying to show up right when you have to be somewhere. Allow extra time to get there early so you can slow down and not impatiently rush.
• Study yourself – Take some time to learn what triggers impatience in you. If there are things you can do to mitigate these factors, do them. (Lamentations 3:40) Avoid impatience triggers when you can.
• Be grateful – When you feel impatient, think about all of your blessings rather than focusing on the thing you don’t have yet. In the midst of all your blessings, you’ll quickly realize the meaninglessness of your impatience.
• Help someone else while you wait – While God is working in your thing, help someone else with their thing. It’ll make you happy and make your wait much less of a drag. (Philippians 2:3-4)

• Celebrate small wins: Progress, no matter how small, is worth celebrating. When you handle a situation patiently, celebrate it.
• Focus on the big picture: Remember why you’re waiting and trust that God’s timing will be perfect.

Worth The Wait 

Patience isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. Whether you’re waiting for the right relationship, working toward a personal growth goal, or trusting God’s plan for your future, waiting patiently leads to huge rewards.  Not only will you remain peaceful while you’re waiting, you’ll build the wisdom, skills and tools needed to handle the very things you’ve been waiting for.

Take a moment to reflect: Are there areas of my life where I need to slow down and trust God’s timing? As Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Trust the process. The best things in life always are worth the wait.