Patience Possess Your Soul

“In your patienceyou possess your soul.” Luke 21:19 NKJV

I read the words again. My online reader lets me click a word and do a search in the concordance – so I did. Christ died so that I might live, so how could I do anything to “possess” my soul? I do nothing because He did it all.

That was my mindset for too long. Christ did all the heavy lifting and I was expected to live in all that He provided with joyful exuberance. I said the right things. I read the right books. I even attended the right classes.

“In your patience . . .”

For the last several months, patience has continued to haunt my studies. More research showed me that patience was not just sitting around waiting. It is a hope that pushes me to have CHEERFUL endurance and constancy. That requires more effort than just sitting around waiting.

I read the passage again – replacing “patience” with my new definition. “In your hope that pushes you to have cheerful endurance and constancy in your journey, you possess (own, control, dominate) your soul (spirit).”

My part is to keep doing what I have been led to do – with cheerful endurance and constancy. Christ did His part and the gift sits there waiting for me. I have to do my part to live boldly in the abundance of that gift.

Tips for Developing Cheerful Endurance

1. Have a sense of humor.

The moment I started writing this article, every child in my house needed me. The bacon smoked up the house. The eggs (that my middle son was cooking) required the guidance of a more seasoned cook . . . me. I had to laugh that even writing an article about patience required me to practice patience.

2. It is not just waiting.

Although patience often involves some form of waiting, there are still things that have to be done while waiting. Even a pregnant woman does not get to sit around for nine months just waiting. She has to change how she does things. She has to adjust how she eats. She has to moderate or modify her activities. There are actions that are taken even in the waiting.

3. Keep the right focus.

In the end, it all comes back to Christ. If I am looking to Him for my directions – even the directions that say to have patience – then I will find the cheerful endurance and constancy to follow.

Developing the Soul Possessing Patience

It’s a choice. Each day I have to choose to do what needs to be done, say what needs to be said, and invest in the things that will help me create soul-possessing patience.

Most days, it won’t be easy, even if it is simple because it is about choice.

Many days, it will not be fun, but joy that comes from peace isn’t about rollercoasters and confetti – it’s deeper and more powerful and much longer lasting.

And some days, it won’t be the choice I want to make, but it is the choice that makes the difference in my life and in the world around me.

Develop your patience. Through your patience, you will discover that you can face it all.

Are you looking to build more patience in your life? Investing daily in the Word will provide the firm foundation for growing up your soul-possessing patience. Order your print copy of 90 Days through the Bible from Amazon or purchase your digital download HERE.