Patience and Practice

Jan 5

I enjoy calligraphy, but it requires a lot of patience and practice. I usually enjoy spending hours trying to perfect my handwriting, but some days I find practicing it tedious. That’s because I spend hours writing the same letter or word over and over again.

It’s within these moments of writing where I am reminded of the importance of waiting upon the Lord for our spiritual growth. For example, if I choose to draw one letter at a time, focusing on where I want it to go, the letter ends up beautiful and exactly how I intended. On the other hand, when I become anxious to finish my project, I find myself with art that has shaky lines and imperfections, and I end up tearing it apart with my criticisms. The result of patient calligraphy is beautiful work, something that I’m proud of, and ways to bless others through handwritten notes and cards.

This same concept of patience and thoughtful behavior can be applied to our spiritual lives. When we rush to grow our faith, or desire to see instant results of our prayer time, Bible reading, or Scripture memory, we lose sight of the purpose of our spiritual disciplines.

We study the Bible and pray in order to understand the Word and grow closer to God. This growth of a true Christian lasts a lifetime.

In the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13:1-12 and 18-23, we find a good example of how the Word of God impacts people.

The rocky ground represents one who hears the Word of God, but the Word does not sink deeply.

The thorns represent one who hears the Word of God but is still tied to the world through riches and worry.

The good soil represents one who hears, understands and lives out the Word, “But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown” (Mt. 13:23, NIV).

Choosing to live out the Word of God requires patience. It requires work that some may find mundane and boring over the years. But no matter what season of life we're in, our patience and consistent spiritual disciplines are actually beneficial to our walk with Christ.

Ashleigh

Ashleigh is a 21-year-old writer saved by God's grace. She lives in Peoria, IL, but she longs to live in Maine. She has always loved to write, and she desires that her words bring people to the feet of Jesus to find hope. Ashleigh enjoys serving the Lord by uplifting others through baking, writing and sending out encouragement cards.

With her desire to work in college ministry to reach young adults with the Gospel, Ashleigh hopes to pursue a master’s in Theological Studies in the near future. In the meantime, she works at her local church daycare during the week and hopes to volunteer more now that she's a recent college graduate. She also enjoys reading, baking, crocheting and an occasional hike.

You can connect with her on instagram here.