Living Out Love in a World Full of Hurry (and Fury)

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." - James 1:19-20

I made my stage debut at the age of five with a short but meaningful (to me) solo at my family's church. I don’t remember much about the event, but I do remember the lyrics I sang as Herbert the Snail from The Music Machine:

"Have patience, have patience, don't be in such a hurry. If you get impatient, you only start to worry. Remember, remember, that God has patience too, and think of all the times when others have to wait for you."

As the messenger, I remember feeling a sense of ownership over those words. I wanted to understand what it meant that "God has patience too." Did it mean that God didn’t get mad at me when I acted impulsively, as I was prone to do? Or, as I counted down the days until my next visit to my grandparents' house, did it mean that God found it easy to wait for things that felt like they would never come?

I wasn’t sure, but I found whispers of an answer in Galatians 5:22-23:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

I figured that Herbert the Snail wanted to teach my friends and me that becoming more like Jesus meant showing people around us this fruit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.

But as a rambunctious little girl, I wasn’t always sure how to do that.

These days, I find myself thinking back to that simple song. When I reflect on how God has walked alongside me over the years—pouring out mercy and grace and lifting my eyes to see a vision beyond what’s immediately in front of me—the words "God has patience" feel less like a mysterious lyric and more like a prayer of gratitude.

In significant ways, the world feels different now than it did when I was young. Tempers flare. Worldviews harden into divisions. The pace of life demands immediate results. In a culture that rewards urgency and outrage, I wonder again what it means to serve a God who is never in a rush—whose Spirit produces patience, kindness, and self-control in us when we make space to receive it.

I’m still not always sure how to do that, but I am grateful for James 1:19-20, which offers a simple, steadying guide:

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry."

We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we do know who holds us—yesterday, today, and forever. So for now, let’s practice patience. Let’s slow down, listen, and resist the pull toward anger. Let’s take a deep breath and invite the Spirit’s fruit to shape how we move through the world.

Let’s choose to live out the love of Jesus in a world full of fury and fear.

Question for Reflection:

Think of a recent moment when impatience got the better of you. What were you feeling in that moment? How might pausing, listening, or trusting God’s timing have changed your response? As you reflect, ask God to show you one way to practice patience today—with yourself, with others, or in a situation beyond your control.