Patient when things aren't going your way

Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Once we become parents, we get very concerned about how to raise our children and teach them good character. We get books, listen to speakers, even join social groups that will help. After raising four sons, I can tell you that one of the most important things you should teach your child is the meaning of the words, "not yet". Teaching them "no" is hard enough because it is the natural tendency of humans, no matter how small, to want things for themselves and to push back when they don't get it. Little children throwing fits in a grocery store is a common occurrence. If a parent is patient and consistent though, a child can learn what that means.

And yet there is another level of understanding that comes with being required to wait for something that you are allowed to have but will not get right away. Delayed gratification, something that is sadly missing in our society today, takes patience and you have to be trained in order to learn it. "Not yet" means you will get what you've asked for, but you have to be patient and wait longer.

It also requires that the child trust their parent to know what is best. God has you and I on a training program to help us reach His goal of being a mature follower of Jesus and many of the trials we encounter along the way, both large and small, are intended to help us grow up. You want your children to learn patience and so does the Lord. He often answers our prayers with, "not yet" even when we think we need that answer now.

Why would He do that? He knows what is best. Maybe a mother praying for her son does not realize that the Lord is waiting for him to go through tough times so that he will humble himself and surrender. Perhaps God is delaying the arrival of the money you are praying for because He wants someone else to be involved in the answer. We must learn to wait on the Lord and when we do, it builds a strength in us that increases our faith. Remember, He is always after our hearts and wants us to trust Him at the deepest level, when all else seems to be failing and we cannot sense Him at work.

Maybe a dozen years from now someone will say that you were an outstanding example of a follower of Jesus to them because of your steady and patient faith. "Teach me to be patient, Lord, and wait on you to answer." This should be our prayer when we ask the Lord to do something for us. Your children need to develop into mature adults, not to throw a fit or lose heart when things don't happen as quickly as they want. God sees us the same way, as a loving Father who is satisfied when His children grow to have such faith.