"Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. "
Patience, we recognize that it's a virtue worth the having, but when asked to display it, we fail to recognize the opportunity and choose instead to murmur and complain. When I'm suffering my natural response is to want it to stop right now. I want the illness or discomfort eradicated, and I want to return to ease. But I am urged here unto patience, and it is to continue not for a week, a month, a year, or a decade but "until the coming of the Lord." I certainly don't want my affliction to last that long, but that is how long I am urged to hold out.
The passage directs me to observe the farmer who waits patiently for the anticipated harvest. I must be like him in my patience. But what does it mean here to establish my heart? I keep in my thoughts the coming of the Lord, and I set my heart firmly upon that foundation, knowing that the suffering is temporary.
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