But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 2 PET 3:8
A friend was in the midst of a years-long recovery from childhood abuse, which had left much distrust and fear in its wake. Eating calmed her fears, but it had gotten out of control. She was pursuing healing with a Christian therapist, but progress was slow and painful. Her weight was a constant burden to her.
Impatient with the pace of her progress, she accused God, “You seem to think you have all the time in the world!”
“I do,” he replied.
“Oh, yes, I guess you do,” she said, with a sigh of relief.
Even though the process remained difficult, knowing God was patient with her allowed her to relax in the necessary steps of recovery. God is so much more patient than we are. He is more patient with us than we are with ourselves. He is patient in our progress towards holiness. He is patient as we work through forgiving those who hurt us in our childhoods. He is patient as we learn to love.
He knows, far better than we do, how long it takes to learn to trust him when our parents have been untrustworthy. If we are working towards that goal, he is pleased with us.
Lord, we want relax in this growth process. Please show us your patience with us.