(Photo: Getty/iStock)
Our next stop on the journey through the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) is forbearance, also translated as patience or long-suffering – one of the most stretching yet beautiful fruits.
The Source of Forbearance: God’s Character, Not Our Temperament
There are so many different personality frameworks today – many suggest that some people are simply born calmer or more patient than others.
Yet, the forbearance spoken of here is far deeper than mere tolerance or a calm personality trait – it is a reflection of God’s very nature. Similar to joy and peace, patience begins with God Himself. Scripture repeatedly describes Him as “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” (Psalm 103:8; Exodus 34:6).
God’s patience is the soil from which all ours must grow. With loving endurance, He created this entire world for us to have a relationship of love with us (Genesis 1:26-27). Even after we rejected this love, He waited for humanity to turn back, bore with Israel through generations of rebellion, and still sent His Son “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8; Jeremiah 31:3; Psalm 78:37-39). Every moment of our lives has been covered by His forbearance — His refusal to give up on us when we faltered (2 Peter 3:9).
To live in forbearance, then, is to mirror the heart of a God who waits and hopes — not passively, but faithfully. It’s trusting His timing even when our plans stall and showing grace to others even when they test our limits – knowing His patient and gracious love for us.
Jesus: The Perfect Example of Patience
Jesus embodied perfect patience. Though misunderstood, mocked, and betrayed by God’s chosen people and His own disciples, He never retaliated in anger. Instead, He bore suffering with quiet strength, entrusting Himself to the Father’s will and loving to the very end (1 Peter 2:23; Isaiah 53:7; Philippians 2:8; John 13:1).
Think of how He patiently taught His disciples, even when they were slow to understand (John 14:9); how He waited for the right moment to reveal His glory (John 2:4); how He endured rejection with mercy rather than resentment (Luke 23:34).
To the world, Christ’s patience may seem like weakness, but it was love in motion — a steadfast endurance rooted in His awareness of the Father’s plan and heart for mankind. Through His waiting and suffering, redemption came to the world (Colossians 1:14).
And now, the same Spirit that sustained Jesus in His forbearance lives in us (Romans 8:11), empowering us to wait with hope, to endure without bitterness, and to love when it costs us.
Forbearance vs. Frustration: The Spirit’s Gentle Battle
Let’s be honest: our natural response to delay or difficulty is frustration. We want change now, results now, justice now. But like joy and peace, forbearance begins where our control ends.
In Ephesians 4:2, Apostle Paul urges, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Likewise, in Romans 5:3-5, he states, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; character, hope. And this hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
This bearing with — forbearing and persevering— means choosing to love others as they are, even when they’re not as we wish them to be. It’s choosing to endure through the storms even when we can’t see the other side, trusting in God’s goodness and love for a hopeful purpose (Lamentations 3:25-26).
The Spirit transforms our impatience not by removing every irritation but by reshaping our perspective. Delays are where we learn to trust. Disappointments become opportunities to surrender. Difficult people offer the chance to show grace.
Forbearance is the Spirit’s slow work of turning reaction into reflection — teaching us to respond not from our flesh, but from faith.
How the Holy Spirit Cultivates Forbearance in Us
The Holy Spirit cultivates patience like a gardener tending tender shoots.
He doesn’t rush the work, because patience itself cannot be rushed. Instead, He tends to the soil of our hearts, pruning pride, softening resistance, and nurturing trust until endurance takes root and begins to flourish.
He deepens love by reminding us that true patience flows not from duty but from compassion (1 Corinthians 13:4). Forbearance becomes easier when we remember how patiently God has loved us — through every failure, every return, every unfinished story.
He builds trust by teaching us that God’s delays are not denials but divine appointments. In the waiting, He reminds us that what seems slow to us is often mercy in disguise, “for the revelation awaits an appointed time” (Habakkuk 2:3).
He strengthens hope by anchoring us in the promise that “those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). When we are weary of waiting, He breathes new life into tired faith, reminding us that hope is never wasted when it’s placed in God’s hands.
He reshapes our perspective by lifting our eyes from the frustration of the moment to the beauty of the eternal (James 1:3–4). Through delay, disappointment and difficult people, the Spirit trains our hearts to appreciate meaningful growth over ease and instant gratification.
He refines endurance — not by sparing us from testing, but by walking with us through it (Romans 5:3–4). The Spirit teaches us that patience is not passivity; it’s perseverance that sees the bigger picture. Each trial becomes a tool in His hands, forming faith that lasts.
The Spirit’s patience forms us slowly, often through the very moments we wish would pass quickly. Yet through them, He makes us more like Jesus — steady, gracious, enduring.
Practising Forbearance in Everyday Life
Forbearance, like joy and peace, grows not in theory, but in the ordinary pressures of life. Here are ways to nurture it daily:
- Pray through delays: When waiting feels heavy, turn your frustration into conversation with God (Psalm 37:7; Philippians 4:6-7; Romans 12:12).
- Remember His patience with you and extend grace freely: The more we return to His Word and see our own shortcomings with clarity, the more deeply we begin to understand just how much God has endured and loved us, and the easier it becomes to extend that same patience to others (Romans 2:4). Choose to assume the best, forgive quickly, and love consistently (Colossians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; Matthew 18:21-22).
- Pause before reacting: Let silence create space for the Spirit to lead before you speak or decide anything (Proverbs 15:1).
- Embrace the slow work: God is forming character to be more like Christ in the waiting — don’t rush His process (James 5:7–8; Romans 5:3–4; Hebrews 10:36).
- Fix your eyes on eternity: True forbearance is sustained by hope — the confident assurance that Christ will return and make all things new (Titus 2:13; Revelation 21:4). When our hearts are anchored in that Kingdom to come — the salvation and restoration of all creation — we can endure the present with grace (James 5:7-8; Romans 8:18-21).
Final Thoughts
Forbearance is not simply waiting — it is waiting with grace and active trust. It’s choosing to believe that “God is still working, even when I can’t see it.”
The Spirit’s fruit of patience keeps us steady when life feels stuck, kind when people are difficult, and faithful when hope feels delayed. It is the grace to keep walking when answers tarry, to keep loving when it hurts, and to keep believing that God’s timing is good.
So, when impatience whispers “give up,” remember: the same Spirit who bore with you now bears fruit through you. Let His patience take root, until your waiting becomes worship and your endurance becomes a testimony of His steadfast love.
