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Your keys are in your hand, you're ready to walk out the door. But where's your child? She's trying to put on her shoes all by herself. And it's going very, very slowly. And you can feel yourself getting impatient. So, what does God's word say about the way we respond in moments like this? Welcome to God Says So, the scripture-rooted podcast created to help Christian moms just like you grow in God's word, strengthen your faith, live by what God says, and pass his truth on to the children you love. So the next generation grows up rooted in Scripture. Hi, I'm Donna, and I hope that you'll feel right at home here. Together, we'll find encouragement and joy in what God says. You'll leave with one practical way to bring his truth into your everyday family life. So come join me. I can't wait to share today's message with you. Hey friend, welcome back. I'm so glad you're here. We're continuing our series, The Fruit of the Spirit in Everyday Family Life. And today we're talking about patience. And as we do in every episode, we're going to take one scripture passage, one prayer, and one practical step to help you live by what God says in your everyday life. Our scripture today is James 1, 19 through 20. Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters, you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. Now there is so much practical wisdom packed into those two verses. It says, be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to get angry. And I want us to really notice the order because when we're getting impatient, we usually want to do the opposite. We're quick to speak, we're quick to react, quick to let everyone know exactly how impatient or frustrated we are. But God's word says, slow down. Be quick to listen. Be slow with your words, and be slow to get angry. And then James tells us why. Because human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. In other words, allowing our impatience to turn into anger or harsh reactions is not going to accomplish in that moment what God wants to produce in us. And that matters. Because sometimes when we're impatient, it can feel like getting louder or speaking more sharply. And we're thinking by doing that, it's going to fix the situation faster. But that doesn't mean it's the response God is asking from us. And patience is part of the fruit of the Spirit. So this isn't simply about trying harder to keep your cool. As you follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit is working in you. And one of the places we begin to see that work is in the way we respond when things aren't moving at the pace that we would like. So let's go back to those shoes. So you need to leave, and maybe you're already running a few minutes behind. And your sweet little girl has decided that day is the day she's absolutely going to put on those shoes all by herself. And you're watching and watching. And now you're thinking, we could have been in the car five minutes ago if she had just let me do it. And then she notices the shoe she put on is on the wrong foot. And now she's gonna start all over. This is one of those moments that is probably not going to matter by the end of the day. But in the moment, you can feel yourself getting more and more impatient. And you say impatiently, Come on, hurry up. We don't have time for this. But what if right there before those words come out, the Holy Spirit brings God's word back to your mind, slow to speak. So you pause. Maybe you take a breath to give yourself a moment to respond. Then you say, Okay, let's try that shoe one more time. Now, does that mean you are never going to help her put on her shoes when you are running late and genuinely need to be somewhere? Of course not. Sometimes you may need to say, sweetheart, I know you want to do it all by yourself, but we have to leave now, so mommy's going to help you. Patience doesn't mean there are no boundaries, and it doesn't mean there's no urgency, and it doesn't mean your child gets to decide the schedule. It means that when you need to take over, correct something, or move things along, the way you respond can still be shaped by God's word. And your child experiences that. She experiences a mom who may be in a hurry, but doesn't have to become harsh because she's in a hurry. A mom who can feel impatient impatience rising and ask the Holy Spirit to help her respond differently. A mom who is learning to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. And I want to say this. Sometimes you are going to get it wrong. You are going to speak too quickly. You are going to let that impatience come out of your mouth in the form of your words and the way that you say it. And you may hear yourself say something and immediately think, oh, I wish I hadn't said it like that. That doesn't mean you failed at following Jesus. You can go back and say, I'm sorry. Mommy was impatient and I spoke too harshly. Your child gets to see that too. They get to see that living by God's word doesn't mean pretending we always get everything right. It means that when the Holy Spirit shows us something, we respond to him. We make it right and we keep growing. Okay, here's your one practical step for today. The next time you feel impatience arising, remember these three words. Slow to speak. Before you respond, pause long enough to ask yourself, do the words I'm about to say line up with what God says? And if they don't, don't say them. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you respond with patience, because that may completely change the way the moment goes. Real quick before we pray, if you want a simple way to bring more of God's word into your everyday family life, I have a free guide called Seven Scriptures to Pray Over the Children You Love. You can download it today by using the link in the show notes. Okay, let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your word and for the way you show me how to live. When I feel impatient, help me remember what you say, to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Holy Spirit, help me notice when impatience is beginning to affect my words and my attitude. Help me pause before I react and choose words that reflect you. And when I get it wrong, help me to quickly recognize it, apologize, and keep growing. Produce your patience in me as I follow Jesus and help my child see through my everyday responses what it looks like to live by your word. In Jesus' mighty name, amen. Okay, so come back on Tuesday as we continue our Fruit of the Spirit series and we move on to kindness. And if you haven't already, please follow the God Says So podcast so you never miss an episode. Oh, wait, one more thing. If the Holy Spirit puts someone on your heart while you were listening to this episode, would you please share this podcast with them? And together, we can reach more families, all for God's glory. Until next time, stay rooted in Scripture. Live by what God says, and pass it on.