{"id":25099,"date":"2025-04-22T08:08:33","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T12:08:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25099"},"modified":"2025-04-19T16:41:11","modified_gmt":"2025-04-19T20:41:11","slug":"learning-patience-in-an-impatient-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2025\/04\/learning-patience-in-an-impatient-world.html","title":{"rendered":"Learning Patience in an Impatient World"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Becoming a patient person is a real challenge when you\u2019re someone who struggles with waiting. I\u2019ve always had little patience for long lines, people who are late to meetings, or slow drivers in the left lane. It often feels like I\u2019m the White Rabbit from\u00a0Alice in Wonderland<\/em>\u2014”I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date!” The truth is, impatience is something many of us battle. We live in a world that has conditioned us to expect things instantly.<\/p>\n

Whether we\u2019re waiting for something exciting to happen in our lives or dealing with delays, waiting can test our patience. We are part of an immediate-gratification culture, where we want everything right now. But here\u2019s the reality: God\u2019s timing is always the best timing. The delay we experience may be divine, as God works behind the scenes, shaping things in ways we can\u2019t yet see, but in His perfect way.<\/p>\n

The Struggle with Waiting<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our natural response to waiting can often be frustration, even aggression. We want things to move faster, and sometimes, we push people or situations to hurry up. A perfect example of this in Scripture is Sarah. God had promised her and Abraham a child, yet when the wait felt too long, Sarah took matters into her own hands. Her decision to act outside of God\u2019s timing only complicated her life further.<\/p>\n

Waiting requires something more than just pausing or stopping. It asks for stillness and often a slowing down of our own pace. Yet, waiting isn\u2019t passive\u2014it\u2019s active. When we wait, we choose to trust that this pause will yield fruit in the right season. Think of a child eagerly waiting for Easter morning to find a hidden basket of treats. The anticipation is real, and the reward comes at just the right time.<\/p>\n

Patience in the Bible: A Call to Trust<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bible addresses the act of waiting many times because God knows the human tendency to grumble or complain when things don\u2019t happen on our timetable. Yet, when we wait on the Lord, we exercise trust. Waiting strengthens our faith and builds endurance. Scripture encourages us to wait and not grow faint, to run but not grow weary. During times of waiting, God promises to renew our strength.<\/p>\n

James 1:3 reminds us that “the testing of our faith produces perseverance.” God often uses the delays in our lives to teach us patience and orchestrate His perfect plan for us\u2014plans we may not yet understand because we don\u2019t see the bigger picture. In those moments of delay, we must choose to trust that God is working on our behalf, even when things feel uncertain.<\/p>\n

Waiting with Expectancy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Waiting requires an attitude of expectancy. We wait for things like help, a job offer, and the end of difficult seasons. But ultimately, our expectancy should be in the Lord, trusting Him to work on our behalf as we do what we can. As we wait, we can take comfort in knowing that the One who holds it all is in control. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). His ways are perfect, and we can trust in His timing.<\/p>\n

God is Near in the Waiting<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a season of waiting, remember that God is still listening to our cries. He is not distant or uninvolved. Though we may not understand suffering or hardship, we can trust that God is actively at work behind the scenes, orchestrating something far greater than we can see. Trusting in His sovereignty and perfect timing is key. As the Psalmist writes, \u201cBe strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord\u201d (Psalm 31:24).<\/p>\n

Even if we can\u2019t see the purpose of the delay right now, we can be assured that God is cheering us on, strengthening our faith, and preparing something good. Just as a builder constructs a strong foundation before putting up a house, God is building our character in the waiting. The delays we face are often the moments when He\u2019s doing the most work in us.<\/p>\n

The Reward of Waiting<\/strong><\/p>\n

Waiting is a time to lean into God\u2019s promises and trust that He is working everything for our good. As we wait, let\u2019s remember that we can choose to treat those causing delays with kindness, trusting that God\u2019s timing is perfect. He\u2019s watching over us, guiding us, and keeping us in His care. The wait is not just a time of inactivity; it\u2019s an opportunity to trust more deeply in Him.<\/p>\n

So today, let\u2019s choose to wait on the Lord. Let\u2019s renew our strength, trust His timing, and embrace the pauses in life as opportunities to grow. Trust that God is working in your waiting and remember that the reward is always worth the wait. Keep going, keep trusting, and know that God is faithful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Becoming a patient person is a real challenge when you\u2019re someone who struggles with waiting. I\u2019ve always had little patience for long lines, people who are late to meetings, or slow drivers in the left lane. It often feels like I\u2019m the White Rabbit from\u00a0Alice in Wonderland\u2014”I’m late! I’m late! For a very important date!”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[916],"tags":[8848,3069,8851,562,8857,750,8854,1628],"class_list":["post-25099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-god-relationship","tag-be-patient","tag-delays","tag-divine-delays","tag-impatience","tag-impatient","tag-patience","tag-renewed-strength","tag-waiting"],"yoast_head":"\nLearning Patience in an Impatient World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Impatience is something many of us battle. We live in a world that has conditioned us to expect things instantly.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25099\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Learning Patience in an Impatient World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Impatience is something many of us battle. We live in a world that has conditioned us to expect things instantly.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25099\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Doing Life Together\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-04-22T12:08:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-19T20:41:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2025\/04\/pexels-pixabay-39396-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Linda Mintle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@drlindamintle\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Learning Patience in an Impatient World","description":"Impatience is something many of us battle. We live in a world that has conditioned us to expect things instantly.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25099","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Learning Patience in an Impatient World","og_description":"Impatience is something many of us battle. We live in a world that has conditioned us to expect things instantly.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25099","og_site_name":"Doing Life Together","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/","article_published_time":"2025-04-22T12:08:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-04-19T20:41:11+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2025\/04\/pexels-pixabay-39396-scaled.jpg"}],"author":"Linda Mintle","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@drlindamintle","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25099","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25099","name":"Learning Patience in an Impatient World","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25099#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25099#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2025\/04\/pexels-pixabay-39396-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2025-04-22T12:08:33+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-19T20:41:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#\/schema\/person\/1e16a9c7332cfcc5b5d89e4ba3a36142"},"description":"Impatience is something many of us battle. We live in a world that has conditioned us to expect things instantly.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25099#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25099"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25099#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2025\/04\/pexels-pixabay-39396-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/258\/2025\/04\/pexels-pixabay-39396-scaled.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25099#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Learning Patience in an Impatient World"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/","name":"Doing Life Together","description":"Relationship Doctor, Mental Health, Emotional Wellness, Relationship Advice & Entertainment","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/#\/schema\/person\/1e16a9c7332cfcc5b5d89e4ba3a36142","name":"Linda Mintle","description":"It is rare that a trained academic who speaks passionately to the heart of people providing real answers to real life problems is so relatable. Dr. Linda\u2019s fun personality and expertise comes through whether she\u2019s helping her audience stress less or make peace with their thighs! Dr. Linda has her Ph.D. in Urban Health and Clinical Psychology and is a national expert on mental health. She has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders, anxiety, depression and pain management. With 30 years of clinical experience working with couples, families and individuals, she brings her common-sense approach to people who want to live in positive mental health. Dr. Linda is also a bestselling author with 21 book titles to her credit, a radio host of the Dr. Linda Mintle show, professor, national speaker, winner of the Mom\u2019s Choice Award, a national news consultant, featured writer for Beliefnet and hosts her own website. Her academic appointments keep her abreast of current research in her areas of expertise. Her media experience includes seven years as the resident expert for ABC Family\u2019s Living the Life television show and regular appearances on network television and radio. It is often said that being with Dr. Linda is like having coffee with a friend. She makes the complicated issues of relationships and mental health easy to understand and applicable to everyday living. The ease she has with people, coupled with her clinical training and experience makes her a sought-after speaker on college campuses, conferences and special events. Whether she is doing a TV skit with Tim Conway or discussing teen violence with Queen Latifa, Dr. Linda will entertain, educate and integrate faith and mental health in everyday living. Check out her latest book Hope and Healing for Anxiety, a whole-person approach to eliminate anxiety. .","sameAs":["https:\/\/drlindamintle.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlindamintle\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/drlindamintle\/","https:\/\/x.com\/drlindamintle"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/author\/lmintle"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/419"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25099"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25117,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25099\/revisions\/25117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}