“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James 1:2-4

I’m a girl’s girl!

I’m all for sisterhood. Girl bosses. Female entrepreneurs reshaping their communities.

I’m all for supporting women chasing after their God-given dreams.

But the one her I really, really don’t like? The her that’s written about in the Epistle of James.

Patience.

If you’re like me, you’ve sat through your share of sermons on patience. You’ve heard time and time again about the importance of waiting and waiting well.

Between the two of us though, I’ve yet to master either skill.

It’s not that I’m an impatient person. I rather think of myself as eager. I like to see results. And if I could always have those results right away, it’s even better!

Unfortunately, me and God typically doesn’t see eye to eye when it comes to timing. That’s probably because He knows how well faith and patience work together.

If we’re all honest, the waiting period is rough. We’re often tempted to question God. And there’s usually little joy involved when going through a difficult situation.

But as James 1:2-4 reminds us, “when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (Emphasis added.)

As much as we may fuss and fight when those shall we say patience-growing moments come our way, we should see them as a chance to develop our faith.

Our faith is what carries us through life’s toughest chapters. It’s what keeps us going when we feel like throwing in the towel. Faith is the difference between life and death. Peace or worrying. Joy or sadness. Yes, faith is the glue that holds us together when everything around us is falling apart.

Without question, faith grows best under pressure and with time.

And as we learn to endure, we’ll notice some sweet changes happening within us. Like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. (Check out Galatians 5:22-25)

So while patience may not be our favorite girl, we all need her in our lives.

The sooner we learn to embrace her, and allow her to do what only she does best, the better we become as women.