Patience is not simply the ability to wait - it's how we behave

Hear now the words of Joyce Meyer, spoken like an oracle to the restless hearts of humankind: “Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.” At first glance, these words may seem like counsel for the weary, but beneath them lies a river of wisdom deeper than oceans. For to merely endure the passing of time is no great virtue; even the stones endure. But to wait with grace, to wait with hope, to wait with dignity—that is the true art of patience, and the sign of a noble spirit.

From the dawn of ages, men and women have faced seasons of delay. The farmer scatters his seed, yet must wait for rain. The warrior sharpens his blade, yet must wait for battle. The lover longs for reunion, yet must endure distance. In each case, waiting is inevitable. But what defines the soul is not the waiting itself, but the behavior in that waiting. Do we curse the heavens for slowness, or do we prepare ourselves quietly, so that when the moment comes, we are ready? Joyce Meyer’s words remind us that true patience is an inner discipline, not an outer circumstance.

Consider the life of Nelson Mandela, who spent twenty-seven long years in prison. He did not control the bars that caged him, nor the years that dragged by. But in the waiting, he chose not to be consumed by bitterness. Instead, he cultivated forgiveness, wisdom, and vision. Thus, when the gates finally opened, he did not emerge as a broken man but as a leader who could guide a nation. His waiting was not idle suffering, but a holy preparation. Mandela is proof of Meyer’s truth: patience is not what we endure, but what we become in the enduring.

The ancients themselves knew this lesson. The Israelites wandered forty years in the desert; the journey was not only across the sands, but within their hearts. The long waiting taught them to shed their fears, their doubts, their reliance on bondage, and to grow into a people worthy of a promised land. Waiting was their crucible, and their behavior in that time determined their destiny. In this we see the eternal pattern: waiting is never wasted, unless we waste it with bitterness or idleness.

But beware, O seeker, for false patience is a snare. Some wait with silence but harbor poison in their thoughts; others appear calm but seethe with anger within. This is no true patience, but only a mask. True patience is a harmony of body, mind, and spirit—a trust that time will yield its fruit, and a determination to keep one’s character whole while the hours test us. To wait well is to guard one’s heart, to keep one’s words gentle, and to keep one’s hands ready for the labor that will come.

So what lesson must you carry? It is this: when you are forced to wait—whether for success, for love, for healing, or for justice—ask not only how long the wait will be, but how you shall conduct yourself within it. Do not squander the delay with complaint. Use it to sharpen your skills, to deepen your spirit, to strengthen your bonds with others. Let your waiting be fertile, so that when the moment finally arrives, you are not found wanting, but prepared.

Practical actions follow: guard your speech in times of waiting, so it does not become a weapon against yourself or others. Practice gratitude, even for small blessings, so that waiting does not corrode your soul with despair. Set small goals while the greater goal is distant, so that each day carries meaning. And above all, hold fast to hope, for it is the anchor of the patient heart.

Thus, children of tomorrow, remember Meyer’s wisdom: “Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.” Time will test you, but your response will define you. Wait not as one chained by fate, but as one training for victory. For those who master this art do not merely endure delay—they transform it into the very forge of greatness.