Mom Heart Moments #168

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.

RULING OVER ONE’S SPIRIT is such an amazing concept. When you help your child to learn to control his spirit and to rule over his emotions, you are giving him a gift that will serve him the rest of his life. I had to learn right alongside my children!

In a culture that has fast food, air travel, and nearly instantaneous responses to communication, the value of patience has become lost. Yet, patience is the virtue that will cause us to grow spiritually like no other. Waiting for our prayers to be answered forces us to look to God, to humble ourselves before Him, to acknowledge our dependence on Him.

God has wisdom, and He has a plan. He works to build spiritual muscle slowly, because His focus is on building character and the likeness of Christ in our lives. Holiness does not come from a quick fix.

Satan prowls the earth to see whom he may devour. The earth is in rebellion against God. If we are to resist evil and overcome it with good, we must learn the value of waiting patiently in the midst of life’s storms. Weeping is for the night, but joy comes in the morning, as the psalms say.

All of life in a fallen world requires us to be patient and to rule over our impatient spirits. We do not walk by emotions or whims, but we learn to walk in obedience to the path God has given. Then, His reward will be sure and generous.

The value of training and teaching our children to put off self-gratification is great. Gently helping them to choose patience, to will to be strong, to wait on God, is to prepare them to understand how to live their lives for Him rather than themselves.

Do you feel you are a patient person? How might you build more muscle in this area?