tested patience

Sherin Sam looks at how our patience in the small things prepares us for life’s bigger challenges

‘It is the regular exercise of patience and long-suffering in the small day-to-day frustrations and irritations which prepares us to endure when the great battles come.’ – Billy Graham. [1]

One particular day, I was given the task of looking after a delirious patient who was trying to escape his bed, pulling out lines and other equipment, and, at the extreme, spitting phlegm out. I wondered why I had been assigned to this patient at all. I wished I were in a different place. The next day, when I arrived for my shift, I saw my name written next to the same patient. I was a bit irritated but, nonetheless, accepted the task, trusting that God would make my day better. To my further sadness, I saw the patient becoming more disruptive, especially during care. Toward the end of the shift, his relatives visited him, and in their presence, he spat out phlegm several times. They observed me patiently and kindly cleaning the phlegm he spat. His sister appreciated my patience in caring for him. I was delighted to hear that and kept it in my heart.

In our Christian walk, one of the virtues that we should develop is patience. Just as Billy Graham says, it’s in our daily frustrations and irritations that we are given the exercise to build our patience. Now, ‘why should we build such patience in the Christian walk?’ is the question we should ask ourselves. James, in James 1:12, calls ‘blessed’ the man who perseveres under trial. The word ‘blessed’ links to the exact meaning spoken by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Anyone who endures trials and temptation is a happy, fortunate person; it is not a transient but an eternal experience. Furthermore, James explains the reason: he will receive the crown of life that God has promised. Our patience is the expression of love and devotion to God, an essence of true faith. In this world, we are called to display the works of Christ, and our works come through faith in him. When we serve Christ in this way, it is pleasing to God and approved by men (Romans 14:18). Hence, the crux of the matter in the words of Spurgeon is ‘blessed are they whose patience has endured the open grave, the constant gnawing at the heart, the bitterness of poverty, and the agony of an everyday struggle for bread. The men who bear affliction in a gracious manner, these are the blessed people, for they have a patience that has been tested, a faith that has passed the ordeal, a love that has been more than a conqueror in trial. These, according to our text, are the blessed people. The Holy Ghost pronounces them such’. [2]

Sherin Sam is an adult nurse in Oxford and volunteers as an Associate for the CMF Nurses and Midwives Team, focusing on welcoming and supporting internationally educated nurses and midwives.