May 17
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PATIENT LIKE A FARMER
7 Therefore be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not complain, brothers and sisters, against one another, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 10 As an example, brothers and sisters, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. – James 5:7-11
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In this letter, James talks about patience, as a fruit of the Spirit. He illustrates the importance of patience in a believer’s life by referring to a farmer. Farmers get up very early in the day to feed their animals, clean the barns and get their equipment or machineries ready to either till their grounds, sow, plant or harvest. Weather is one of the things that they work with on a daily basis. The success of their work is purely dependent on the weather. They have a vision and a rigorous schedule to follow, or they won’t have a product to feed either their family or merely to be sustainable or to have their farming businesses prosper and make a living out of it. My grandfather was both a farmer and a fisherman. I remember those summer vacations we spent with them and he shows me how to sow, plant and harvest. Getting the grounds ready for sowing takes a lot of work, but once you wait to watch how the seeds germinate, it is magical. This is probably why James uses farmers to illustrate patience and expectancy in this letter. He advises the believers to have the patience of a farmer and also to emulate their hope and expectancy.
In verse 9, he discusses about complaining and endurance. He cautions them from whining about their situations or suffering because when they do, they fail to grow in endurance. James gives Job as an example of someone who endured so much after all the disasters and losing his family has brought about. Without Job’s knowledge, it was God who allowed the devil to tempt this favorite of his. In fact, God was so sure of Job’s loyalty to him that is why he allowed the devil to tempt him. He didn’t falter during all those trials. Because he remained faithful to endure, all of this, God rewarded him a double portion of what he had lost.
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REFLECTION
• Why is patience such a challenging virtue in our world today?