The Art of Leadership By Dag Heward-Mills
What is patience? Patience is the good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence. When someone is patient, he is steadfast in spite of opposition, difficulty and adversity. A patient person bears pains and trials without complaint. A patient man is able to endure a little more. Patience, is indeed, a trait to be coveted.
Few Lessons About Patience
- Patience is that trait that will cause a leader to bear fruit. To be productive you need to be patient for things to grow until the day of harvest. A farmer is patient because he has the ability to wait for the seeds he has planted to bear fruit. There is quite a lot of time between sowing and reaping. Patience is required to wait for harvest after seeds have been planted.
“But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and BRING FORTH FRUIT WITH PATIENCE” (Luke 8:15).
Patience is a very important trait for productivity and prosperity. A lack of patience is what leads people to jump out of a good thing, thinking they can get to the top faster. A lack of patience is what will not let someone wait for the right season. May you run your race with patience and get your rewards in due time!
- Patience is the trait that makes a leader inherit good things. “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him.” These are the words of the psalmist. “Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way for evil doers shall be cut off but those that wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.” Are you a leader with the desire to inherit good things? You will inherit good things through patience!
“That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who THROUGH faith and PATIENCE INHERIT the promises” (Hebrews 6:12).
An inheritance is usually in the future. A patient man will wait for it! May you inherit all the good things due you, as you remain patient!
- Patience is the trait that will cause a leader to be approved. You will be approved because you were able to wait for your day of promotion. The ability to wait faithfully is always rewarded with promotion. Pastors of big churches are all people who have stayed in one place for many years. Owners of big companies have waited for many years. Wait patiently and you will become a leader who can be described as successful.
“But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses” (2 Corinthians 6:4).
Patience is important because of the element of time. Time proves all things! May the good you stand for be proved with time! And may you be patient enough to wait for your promotion!
The Golden Eggs
One day, a farmer’s hen suddenly began laying golden eggs. One morning, upon going to the nest of his chickens, he found a glittering yellow and glowing egg. When he took it up, it was as heavy as lead and he was going to throw it away because he thought a trick had been played upon him. But he took it home on second thoughts. He soon found to his delight that it was a pure golden egg. Every morning the same thing occurred and he soon became rich by selling his golden eggs.
As he grew rich, he began to calculate how much money he would have at the end of the year when his chicken would have laid over three hundred eggs. He thought to himself, “I can’t wait for this chicken to lay an egg a day. It is too slow for me. If I could get all the eggs out of its stomach in one go, I would be very rich and could invest now in buildings and other businesses.” He thought to himself, “I would no longer need to be a farmer. I could go into business.” Then he had a brainwave and said to himself, “If I cut open the chicken’s stomach I could take out all the three hundred eggs and become a millionaire immediately. I will no longer have to prosper in bits and pieces as I am doing now.” The next day he cut open the chicken’s stomach and to his amazement there were no eggs. His impatience cost him his fortune. He could not wait for the golden eggs to be laid every day. He had to have it now!
This is the power of impatience! It is the power that destroys your own fruits and your own rewards. The power of impatience carries with it the power of self-destruction. May we continue to pray for our leaders that they will have this all important trait – Patience!
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