The best action may be patience

September 4, 2018 | 18 comments

“Patience is also a form of action.”

~ Auguste Rodin

If you’re ever tempted to “hurry up and do something,” sometimes the best action to take is to be patient.

18 thoughts on “The best action may be patience”

  1. Wise words! Thank you Evan. How often do we think we have to rush in and do something, when actually we just need to “be”. I love the quote from Psalms “Be still and know that I am God”!

  2. A very good attribute to nourish!
    Webster’s gives: ‘bearing trials calmly; not hasty or impetuous; steadfast despite adversity.’
    In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul writes ‘Love is patient, love is kind.’ (NEB)
    To be patient gives time to carefully consider the next right thing to do.

  3. As one who was always pretty impatient throughout most of my life, this wisdom can have a huge impact on productivity if allowed to flourish in one’s actions. I’ve often thought, “well how does one differentiate patience from procrastination?” I’ve always been one to want to finish all projects in the time frame as my initial effort put forward. This, I can affirm is not acting under God’s guidance. Differentiating patience from procrastination, one does not lose a sense of responsibility to perform. When we procrastinate, we know internally by its nagging reminders that we this activity needs our attention. While patience has no such feeling, but rather comes with a satisfaction of knowing all is at it should be. Thank you, Evan, for this important reminder.

    1. Thanks for your differentiation between patience and procrastination. I personally tend to be impatient, yet also to procrastinate. But sometimes it’s not procrastination but waiting for an idea to clarify, or needing more time to be ready to proceed. So I will keep those “nagging reminders” in mind to help determine what’s really going on!

  4. Evan, many thanks, as always. Dilys a poem I once read: Be
    Be still
    Be still and know
    Be still and know that I am
    Be still and know that I am God.
    A favorite Psalm. God has shared another wonderful day. We are blessed!

  5. This reminds me of, “The time for thinkers has come” and “Patience must have her perfect work”. It also reminds me of the artist Michelangelo who said, when starting a sculpture, (something to the effect), that perfection is already there ~ we need only to chip away all that is not needed, to see it.

  6. Thanks Evan. I came across a Christian Science Sentinel article entitled “Don’t just do something! Stand there!” that fits in with your topic today. The thing I liked about this article is it brings out so well the importance of listening for divine inspiration before acting. It reminded me of an experience I had back in college. A friend from church invited the college students attending church to a water ski outing. We drove out to a remote section of a nearby lake and had a nice picnic and day of water skiing. When it came time to go home, the man that invited us couldn’t find his car keys. Everyone was searching the area around the car and the picnic area and at first I started to do the same. But then it occurred to me to pray. So I sat down on a picnic bench and started to pray. I got some weird looks from the others because I guess they felt I should have been helping to search. But I ignored that and continued praying. Within a few minutes literally a picture in thought appeared to me that the keys were still in the keylock of the trunk. The trunk of the car was open so that the keys weren’t easy to see. I walked over to the car and pointed right at the keys still in the trunk lock and we all had a good laugh. But the lesson of this experience has stayed with me and I remember it when tempted to feel like I have to start doing something before I get a clear direction from God.

    This article I mentioned above can be accessed via the link below:

    https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/1uac8woxyi8?s=e

  7. Thank you very much, Evan, that is so important and blessing, what your today`s SpiritView says us!

    And what it says us, is so lovingly and scientifically given in all your inspired comments, dear fellow commenters – thanks a lot!

    And thank you so much, Brian for sharing with us your awesome testimony, How importent it is to stand still (pray) and know that He is God, who knows everything we need. And thanks a lot for the article from the Sentinel. I immediately printed it out and read it a bit later.

    Dear commenter friends, I missed you all in the yesterday`s SpiritView. I was the only one, who commented yesterday. I know USA had a holiday. And I am very thankful to Evan, that he publishes his precious SpiritView also when you have holiday. I am glad that I get it every day of the week! Have you all a blessed, shiny day today 🙂

    1. Hi Uta, thanks to you I went back and read yesterday’s post – it was great! Also commented, and suggested you try resubscribing – see if that helps. Also checking your trash folder.

  8. This reminder was helpful to reinforce what came to me this morning. I spent last evening searching the internet regarding an activity we are planning next March. It didn’t bring forth any solutions and I was disappointed. But the thought of waiting for things to unfold came prominently. My prayer was to know that all things unfold in their right time. Your messages are always right in time!

  9. Thank you, Evan, for addressing this topic – very timely for me!

    And thanks to all those who have commented – your remarks add to the blessing!

    Uta, I am grateful that you mentioned yesterday’s blog. It did not come into my inbox, and I assumed that Evan was taking the holiday off. Your comment alerted me to look it up this morning, and so I did not miss it after all. I am so glad!

    Shirley, I too love that poem. Here is the way I first saw it:

    Be still and know that I am God
    Be still and know that I am
    Be still and know
    Be still
    Be

    Either way, I love it – so glad you brought it back to our attention!

  10. very good and I like your new format. I remember when I discovered there is more time than you think to make a decision. what is this thing we call time anyway? To stop and listen is always a good thing to do

  11. Uta, I, as well as a friend of mine, didn’t receive the blog yesterday. But she alerted me to check the previous blogs. So, I will check out and read yesterday’s, including your comment, as they are always interesting.

    Brian, thanks for the link to the article, “Don’t just do something, Stand there!” It was very helpful. Rather than “stand there”, I will often sleep on it.

    1. Yes Lori, it is very simple to get the yesterday`s SpiritView.
      Just click below here on “older”, and you immediately get the SV from yesterday.
      It is an inspiring article Brian sent us with that link, very suitable to today`s post.

  12. Patience is definitely needed in the world today—and it always has been. When I was going through a particularly challenging experience I let the Bible fall open one morning, and the first thing I read was, “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” I hung onto that statement for many months. It is very special to me. And, yes, when we turn to God in prayer He tells us exactly when something should be done, and then we can do it. That statement from James is a promise, and it is the truth.

  13. yes Daphne so good that Truth and it matches with another loved Truth, Psalms 23 ”Divine Love is my shepherd I shall not want, He leadeth me on green pastures and leadeth me to fresh wells. ”.

    Isn’t that promissing, too, that while we are patient we have everything we do need in sweet abundant.

    Thank you for that wonderful Bible vers, dear Daphne

  14. g from CA, U are correct I wrote the poem from Ps. backwards. Thank u for remembering, correctly. It works either way, but U have the original Love everyone’s comments

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