Patience​—E No De Tire to Get Hope

WE NEED to get more patience for this “last days” because problem don really plenty. (2 Tim. 3:1-5) Plenty people around us today no dey patient. Them de think only about theirself, they no de agree for anything, and they no sabi control theirself. People wey they get this kind character no dey patient. So, make we ask ourself say: ‘I dey like people for this world wey they no dey patient? Wetin e mean for person to really dey patient? Wetin I fit do so that this fine character go dey part of me?’

For Bible, the word “patience” no only mean say person de endure problem. E mean more than that one. When person dey patient, e de endure problem and still get hope say things go better. E no go de think only about e self, but e go de think wetin go benefit other people, even if na them cause the problem. So when person we e dey patient get problem with another person, e get hope say things go better. No wonder Bible put patience first among the plenty fine character wey love de produce.a (1 Cor. 13:4) Bible still put “patience” as part of the fruit wey “holy spirit de produce.” (Gal. 5:22, 23) So, wetin we fit do so that we go dey patient?

Holy spirit fit help us dey patient. If we trust Jehovah, e go give us holy spirit. (Luke 11:13) Even though say holy spirit fit help us, we still need to do everything wey we fit do to get this character. We go still do the things wey we de pray about. (Ps. 86:10, 11) So, everyday make we de always try dey patient. If we do-am, this character go be part of us. But e no de always easy. So, which other thing fit help us?

We fit get this character if we study and copy the fine example wey Jesus show us. Patience na part of “the new character” wey Paul talk about. After Paul talk this one, e continue to encourage us say “make [we] allow the peace wey Christ de give control [our] heart.” (Col. 3:10, 12, 15) We fit allow this peace control our heart when we believe say God go handle any matter about us for the correct time. This one show say we de copy the strong faith wey Jesus get. If we get that kind strong faith, we no go allow anything around us make us vex sotey we no dey patient again.​—John 14:27; 16:33.

All of us really want make the new world wey God promise us come. But we fit learn how we fit dey more patient when we think about how Jehovah don dey patient with us. Bible tell us say: “Jehovah no dey slow about wetin e promise, as some people think. But e dey patient with wuna because e no want destroy anybody. Instead, e want make everybody repent.” (2 Pet. 3:9) So, when we think about how Jehovah don dey patient with us, we too go dey patient with other people. (Rom. 2:4) Wetin be some situation wey we go need to show patience?

Na everyday we go need to show say we dey patient when we face different-different situation. For example, you fit get one important thing wey you want talk, but you still need to wait make other people talk finish first. (Jas. 1:19) You fit still need patience when you dey with brothers or sisters wey you no too like their character. No allow that kind thing worry you too much. E go good if you think about how Jehovah and Jesus dey patient with us as we de do mistake. They no de put eye for the mistake wey we de do. Instead, them de see the good character wey we get. Na e make they still de wait make we change.​—1 Tim. 1:16; 1 Pet. 3:12.

We go still show say we dey patient when person tell us say wetin we talk or do no correct. Why e be like that? Because e fit make us vex or we fit try to give reason why we do like that. But Bible tell us the way we need to behave. E talk say: “E better make person dey patient than say make e dey proud. Make you no de vex quick, because na person wey e no get sense de vex quick.” (Eccl. 7:8, 9) So, even if people de blame us for something wey no be true, make we dey patient and think before we do or talk anything. Na so Jesus do when people talk lie about e name.​—Matt. 11:19.

Pikin fit begin de think wrong things or de behave for wrong way. So, papa and mama go really need patience when them de correct their pikin. Mattias na one example. This brother na Bethelite for Scandinavia. When e dey around 13 to 19 years, e endure plenty problem from friends for school because e be Jehovah Witness. The papa and mama no first know say Mattias de face that kind problem for school. But they come see say this problem affect their pikin sotey e begin doubt whether wetin Jehovah Witness de teach na really true. Gillis wey be Mattias papa talk say e son go ask question like: “Who be God? What if Bible no be the Word of God? How we know say na God really want make we do this or that?” When e happen like this, e say them de need more patience. Sometimes Mattias go ask e papa say: “Why person go blame me just because I no de think and do things like you?”

The papa talk say: “Sometimes, our son go de vex when e de ask us question. No be say na we be the cause, but e de vex with the truth for Bible. E think say the thing wey e de learn de make life hard.” How this papa manage help e son? E talk say: “Me and my son go sit-down and talk for hours. I de always listen and sometimes I go ask questions so that I go fit understand how e de feel and wetin e de think. Sometimes I go explain things, and before we talk about-am again, I go give my son one or two days make e think about-am. Other times, I de talk say I need some days to think about wetin my son ask us. Because we de always talk like that, small-small, Mattias begin understand things like, why Jesus sacrifice e life for us, how Jehovah get deep love for us, and why Jehovah get the right to rule us. This matter take time, and no be everytime e easy for us but small-small, Mattias begin love Jehovah. Me and my wife de really glad say because of our patience, we succeed to help our son love Jehovah from e heart.”

This husband and wife dey patient as them de try to help their son, and they trust say Jehovah go help them. The papa talk say they love their pikin well-well, and them de pray more-more make Jehovah give their son understanding. Gillis talk say e de always tell Mattias this one. This papa and mama dey happy say them dey patient and they no tire to help their son!

No be only when we de teach people about God we go dey patient. We go still need patience when we de care for family people or friends wey them de sick. Make we see the example of one woman wey she de live for Scandinavia. Her name na Ellen.b

About eight years ago, the husband of Ellen get stroke two times. This sickness damage e brain. Because of this one, the husband no fit show how e de feel again. E no fit show say e dey happy, dey sad, or even show pity. The condition no easy for Ellen. She talk say: “I de always pray and dey patient, this one don really help me.” She still talk say: “The Bible verse wey I really like pass na Philippians 4:13, e say: ‘For everything I de get power from the person wey e de give me power.’” Ellen happy for the power wey Jehovah de give, this one don really make her dey patient and endure. She trust say Jehovah go help her.​—Ps. 62:5, 6.

Na Jehovah be the number one example of patience, and na e example we go follow. (2 Pet. 3:15) Plenty times for Bible, Jehovah don show say e really dey patient. (Neh. 9:30; Isa. 30:18) For example, after Jehovah don decide say e go destroy Sodom, Abraham ask Jehovah question many times about the thing way Jehovah don already decide. But, wetin Jehovah do? First of all, Jehovah allow make Abraham talk. E dey patient and listen to all the question wey Abraham de ask and the way e de feel. Jehovah show say e listen because e repeat everything wey Abraham talk. And e promise Abraham say e no go destroy Sodom, even if na only ten people dey righteous for there. (Gen. 18:22-33) Jehovah dey patient, e de always listen, and e no de vex anyhow! This one na correct example wey we go copy.

True-true, patience na important part of the new character wey all Christians must wear as cloth. This character get value, and e sabi endure. If we de work hard to get-am, our Father for heaven go happy and e go count us join the “people wey because of their faith and patience, they get wetin [e] promise.”​—Heb. 6:10-12.