"App" of Inconvenience

If there be any inconvenience these days we are quick to complain. We have an "app" for just about everything. Don't get me wrong, I am a man who likes convenience but doesn't it spoil us a bit? Don't all these "apps" really just take away from our ability to mature as people. What ever happened to patience, endurance, dedication and self-control? The convenient lifestyle that we now live is like a snake and can distract us from what really matters, transformation.

I wasn't born patient, humble or self-controlled. These things first needed to be taught to me and then trained everyday for the rest of my life. I have never meet a patient child. Children are the model for impatience. Some are better than others but all children are extremely impatient. Impatience does not need to be taught. To this very day, I still struggle and battle with my impatience. I do make an effort to train myself in patience and yet I still fail at it constantly. In time I have gotten better with some things but all in all I am still very impatient. This is very evident now as a Father of three young children.

Is it bad to be impatient? Maybe I should ask the question differently. Is it good to be patient? Of course it is. It is good to be patient. It certainly isn't bad. Therefore, I would conclude, that which is contrary to patience, that is impatience, is not good. Nothing good ever comes out of impatience. When one is impatient they are also often angry, frustrated and lacking self-control. It is not healthy for us and it is not pleasant for those around us when our patience has run its course.

Martial Arts is meant to teach a person more than mere fighting skills but also the value in virtues such as patients, trust, humility, gentleness, peace, self-control and the like. It is now so convenient for people to train in MMA and step into the cage so quickly. People want to fight but not train properly. They want the convenience of fighting without the inconvenience of training. This is the difference between simply becoming a fighter and becoming a professional athlete. The athlete is dedicated and trains to win. The athlete develops character through the rigorous discipline of training for competition. When the "Martial Athlete" meets the "Martial Artist" a WARRIOR is born.

There is much to gain as a fighter through growth in character. Mental toughness increases through the testing and training of character. Character development is about denying yourself for the sake of others and or for the purpose of something greater than yourself. To deny the man within is quite the task. We are selfish by nature and tend to think of ourself before anyone else. To learn to "Love your neighbor as yourself" is nothing short of a miracle. God knows how much we love ourselves all ready. I have heard some people say that you have to learn to love yourself before you can truly love others but I beg to differ. Even the one who is down and depressed loves them self very well. In fact, they are putting their own conditions and anxieties above that of those around them. They are so wrapped up in their own conditions that it is all they can think about. They are concerned about their feelings, their situation, their in-ability to do something. They wonder why does this always happen to me? Perhaps if they were able to consider the conditions of others and deny their own for a time long enough to do their neighbor good, their spirit would be lifted. These tasks are impossible however without the transforming power of God. God is the one who changes our selfish desires and strengthens us to seek out others. The man who learns to deny himself has the ability to be patient, humble, and self-controlled. He knows how to remain calm in adversity. He knows how to compete even without the fear of what man thinks of him. He is humble in both victory and defeat.

I challenge all of you in this fast paced world to train yourself in patience. Take the road less traveled form time to time. Yes, the road of inconvenience and let God do His work in you. God uses inconvenience as the primary tool for building our good patience. Inconvenience is a training opportunity! The word inconvenience is a very selfish word within itself. It stems from self love and keeps use from loving our neighbor as we should. There is no "app" that make us patient faster. That would be to convenient! Let us learn to "Apply" inconvenience as an opportunity for spiritual growth.

Consider the Lord Jesus who so inconveniently set aside His throne to take on the flesh of man. Entering this world in the form of a baby to live the righteous life which we could not only to die a sinners death. A sinless man taking on the sinners death! And for what? So that we may be reconciled back to God and be given the desire to follow Him who saved us from our wicked intentions. I no longer desire the quick road but the one less traveled. The road that leads through suffering but ends in the glory of the Father. I now desire to let patience do its work knowing that patience leads to endurance and endurance to perseverance.

"And not only that but we also glory in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit Whom He has given us." ROMANS 5:3-5

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God." ROMANS 8:18-19