Waiting with Grace: Self-Control in The Wait

They say patience is a virtue.

They also say patience is not necessarily the ability to wait, but rather the manner in which you wait.

Patience is not just the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting.

– Joyce Meyer

A key component to successful waiting is having the virtue of self-control. I know it’s tougher than it seems.

Case Scenario:

I’m on a journey, I’m going somewhere, I have a destination and it is home. Along my journey, I have a desire. The desire is for a chilled drink, but then I remember I have an ice-cold malt in the fridge waiting patiently for me. So I’m comforted in this knowledge, knowing I’m getting closer to achieving my desire at the end of my journey.

The wait is more like a journey than a rest stop. It’s often a continuous phase than a one-time occurrence.

But along my journey, there are various distractions, tempting me to settle for a substitute to my desire, in form of other cold drinks (soft drinks aka soda, not malt) that would give me temporary relief but not actually or completely fulfil it.

Then I speak to myself, winning the battlefield of thoughts on my mind (the mind is a battlefield, it’s where the war is first won or lost), reassuring and reminding myself on something much better waiting for me, if only I could just control my desire long enough to patiently obtain it.

Finally, I get home, pick up my can of super-chilled ice-cold malt and relax on my sofa. The feeling of rest and satisfaction, as I gulped the drink down my thirsty throat was inexplicable. I was simply fulfilled in my desire, and I knew for sure the wait was worth it.

You appreciate things a lot more when you’ve waited for them. The longer the wait, the more you appreciate and value them.

– Dara Nuga

What are you waiting on God for? (Anything at all that you can imagine).

Develop Self-Control in The Wait.

Are you wondering how? Here are a few suggestions. I hope you find them helpful:

• Distractions would come in abundance, impatience can threaten to kick in, but it’s paramount, of utmost essence to maintain an attitude of grace.
• Remember that the battle is first won in the mind, hence the need to fortify it with mental reinforcements such as covenant promises from the word of God.
• Next is to fix your eyes, set your gaze on the prize. Whatever it is you’re looking forward to. This is excellent motivation to wait and not settle. You know what you want, and what’s at stake. The price that’s involved, hence you measure the opportunity costs needed for delayed gratification.
• Maintain a lifestyle of thanksgiving. Thanking in advance. Calling forth those things that be not as though they were. That’s the attitude of faith.
• Preparedness is key. Wouldn’t it be a shame, if God gave you everything you wanted and prayed for, and it turned out you weren’t well-equipped to handle it? Beyond not yet receiving an answer to a prayer, is messing it up when you do receive it. Build capacity, it can’t be over-emphasised. Sometimes, I’m not saying all the time or that this is the case with every wait season, but it is a possible reason.

Love and Grace,

© Zizi 2020

Have you been in a season of wait before, or are you currently in one? Pray tell me a few of your experiences in the comment section below, how you’ve coped or are coping.

If you found this article enriching and rewarding, please do share with friends. You can use the social media icons below.

---

I really didn’t want to talk about the plague affecting our world right now, there’s so much on it already. Mostly bad news and I’ve been trying to mentally distance myself from it, keeping in touch with only the most relevant and discarding the rest. It’s easy to fall for the bane that is INFORMATION OVERLOAD, but remember that too much of anything isn’t always good.

Mental health is very much important and it’s quite unhealthy to stay glued to CNN listening to news info of the pandemic every second of every minute of every hour of the day.

Amidst the social distancing and other hygiene practices being enforced, I would also like to recommend practising some MENTAL HYGIENE. Don’t just sanitise your hands, sanitise your minds too. It’s essential to keep sane, a fractured mind is daunting. Stay safe out there guys, as we all wait in faith for this plague to pass. For this too shall pass. Peace✌️.