Patience as Perseverance and Endurance
by A Monk of Athos
Feast of St. Gregory the Wonderworker & Bishop of Neo-Caesarea
Anno Domini 2021, November 17
I talk a great deal about patience, but this is because it is so essential to authentic Christian spirituality, and so thoroughly misunderstood. Most people have the idea that patience means “waiting.” Fair enough, that is an element of patience. But this gives the impression that patience is a passive thing, simply not acting, and waiting for God to do something. But at its core, the word υπομονή (traditionally translated into English as patience) means something closer to staying power, perseverance, remaining grounded or centered. The real test of patience isn’t waiting, but how a person reacts when the pressure is on. When your spouse snaps at you; the kids are screaming, being openly disobedient, and creating a mess; the business deal falls through; the committee meeting devolves into dissension and arguing. What do you then? If in those situations, if you calmly and persistently keep doing what you know you should do, that is real patience. If when the pressure is on, the temptations and trials rise like might waves, and your words, actions and demeanor are a witness to the grace of Christ which is in you, that is real patience. There will be times when patience is simply sitting by and waiting for the storm to pass without doing anything. But more often, it is the marathon runner in the last two miles of the race, when his muscles are aching and the fatigue is striking at the marrow, and he stays calm and collected and simply keeps running, that is real patience.
In reality, it is a very different thing than how most people envision it. But I give you my word, if you work with God on this one, and allow Him to work real patience into your life, there is no limit to what He can do with you. As James says, “let patience have its perfect work in you, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” The other side of patience is when you fail...and at times you are simply going to fail. It is impossible to bear one’s cross and follow after Christ and not stumble and fall; for Christ Himself showed us this by falling three times. And so, here, patience simply means getting up. You get up, you humbly ask for God’s forgiveness, you ask the forgiveness of others, when necessary. You get up, you pick up your cross, and you keep going and that too is real patience. Forgive me, for me to say anything more, would be undue, for I too am a sinner, and fall every day.
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