PATIENCE IS EASIER TO PREACH THAN PRACTICE
#Patience is a virtue when you are not in a bad situation#
This is probably the first article I’ve written using a real-life example that has stayed with me for years.
I think I was about thirteen years old.
At the time, a deaconess from our church came to our house to speak with my dad, who was an elder of the church. She was having challenges in her marriage and desperately needed counsel.
Now, my thirteen-year-old mind couldn’t fully understand everything she was saying, but one thing I remember clearly was how passionately she spoke about her struggles.
My father listened patiently and then began encouraging her from the Scriptures.
He spoke about faith.
He spoke about endurance.
And, of course, he spoke about patience.
He explained how patience is a virtue and how God rewards those who learn to wait.
The deaconess listened attentively as my father preached what was honestly a very powerful sermon on patience.
Then something happened. 😂
THE PLOT TWIST
After the conversation, we offered to drive her home.
Everything was going smoothly until we got to a traffic light. The light turned green, meaning it was our turn to move.
Suddenly, a reckless driver cut across us out of nowhere and then had the audacity to start insulting my father.
Without missing a beat, my dad yelled:
“You are a big foo...”
And right there, in the middle of the sentence, he realized what was coming out of his mouth.
The car became silent.
The deaconess turned slowly toward him and said:
“Ei, Elder!” 🤣🤣🤣
To this day, we still laugh about it.
THE LESSON UNDER THE LAUGHTER
As funny as this story is, it highlights a truth I’ve come to appreciate over the years: patience is much easier to preach than it is to practice.
Many of us give excellent advice when we’re standing outside the situation. We sound wise. We sound spiritual. We sound mature. Then life puts us in the exact same position, and somehow we end up doing worse than the person we advised.
Why?
Because patience is easy when nothing urgent is demanding your attention. Patience is easy when you are not the one suffering. Patience is easy when the problem belongs to someone else.
For example, imagine you got married and within two months, you became pregnant with twins. Everything went smoothly. Healthy pregnancy. Healthy delivery. Healthy babies.
Now imagine sitting beside a friend who has been married for ten years. Ten years. Several miscarriages. Countless tears. Many prayers. And not a single child yet.
Are you really in the best position to lecture that person about patience while carrying twins on your lap?
Let’s be honest. Most of us would struggle to receive that advice.
Yet this is what we often do. Sometimes, instead of praying with people, we preach at them. Instead of comforting them, we correct them. Instead of listening, we start giving solutions.
Sometimes all people need is your presence. Your understanding. Your prayers. Your shoulder. Not another sermon.
WHAT LIFE HAS TAUGHT ME
One lesson life has taught me is this: before giving advice, place yourself in the other person’s shoes.
Ask yourself honestly: “If I were facing exactly what this person is facing, would I gladly take the advice I’m about to give?”
That’s a difficult question. But it’s a necessary one.
We live in a world where people are carrying burdens we know absolutely nothing about. Some are fighting battles they cannot even put into words. Some are smiling publicly while breaking privately. Some are waiting for answers that seem to take forever to come.
So let’s give people grace. Lots of it. Because one day, you may need that same grace yourself.
And finally, here’s a thought I constantly remind myself of:
Until you have personally walked through a situation that required patience...
Until you have applied the lessons you’re teaching...
Until you’ve seen God come through on the other side...
Your advice is mostly theory. Not necessarily wrong. Just untested. And there’s a difference.
Patience is a beautiful message to preach, but it becomes truly powerful when it has been lived.
So before you hand out advice, try offering understanding first. The person may not remember every word you said. But they will never forget how supported they felt when they needed it most.
And please, if you’re ever preaching patience, pray that nobody cuts in front of your car immediately afterward. 😄😂 Because life has a funny way of testing our sermons almost instantly.
Have you ever preached something you struggled to practice yourself? Tell me about it in the comments, I promise not to judge (much) 😏