Slow-Cooked Patience

Claire Black: Welcome to True Girl, a podcast for girls and their moms. Together, we’ll explore God’s truth for us, one drive at a time. Buckle up! You’re about to grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus!

Have you ever gotten upset with your sister for talking when you’re trying to go to sleep? Or complained because your family vacation seems so far away? If so, you’re going to want to keep listening!

In the past few weeks Dannah Gresh and Staci Rudolph have talked about love, joy, and peace. If you didn’t guess it already, today is patience. 

Let’s listen to Season 15, Episode 5, called “Slow-Cooked Patience.” Here’s Staci!

Staci Rudolph: [licking finger] Mmm, that’s good!

Dannah Gresh: There you are lickin’ your fingers again! I think I beat it enough, don’t you?

Staci: Yeah, it looks nice and smooth. Now we fold the whipped cream into it. [Scraping, folding, getting a little vigorous]

Dannah: Gentle! Don’t beat out the air.

Staci: Oh, right . . . there.

Dannah: Here’s the pie crust. Just go ahead and pour that in.

Staci: Oh, it looks soooo good.

Dannah: Okay. Let’s get it into the freezer.

Staci: Dannah, how are we supposed to put a pie in here? There isn’t even room for a popsicle!

Dannah: Uh . . . let’s see. We’ll move this broccoli down here . . . smoosh the pecans in there . . . okay. Now you can put the pie on top of the ice cream.

Staci: Thanks. I was getting a little nervous that we would have to eat a runny orange icebox pie!

Dannah: Don’t worry. If we really couldn’t fit it in here, we could have put it in the garage freezer. But while that cools, let’s get to our next fruit of the Spirit! 

Staci: Which one is today?

Dannah: “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace . . . patience.”

Staci: Oh, that’s right. I could use some help with that one! It’s so easy to get frustrated when things don’t happen when you want or the way you want them to.

Dannah: Yeah, which is a lot of the time.

Staci: And it seems like people are always saying, “Be patient!” 

Dannah: That’s for sure. 

Since we don’t have anything in the oven today, why don’t we go visit the horses while we talk? It’s not too cold out today. How about we bundle up?

Staci: That’d be great, let me grab my jacket. Oh, it may not be super cold, but it’s windy enough!

Dannah: Well, not in the barn, thankfully.

Hey, Trigg, my cuddler. And my beautiful boy, Truett. I know . . . here’s your treat. Okay, let’s sit on these buckets.

Staci: You’re right, it is way warmer in here with the horses!

Dannah: Yeah. Welcome to my barn, True Girl! Staci, maybe we should explain our definition of patience.

Staci: Good idea. Can I try?

Dannah: Sure.

Staci: Well, actually, I got some help from the Dictionary of Bible Themes. It says that patience in the Bible means, “The quality of . . . self-control which shows itself . . . in a willingness to wait upon God and His will. Believers are called upon to be patient in their expectations of God’s actions and in their relationships with one another.”

Dannah: Wow, lots of words! So, let’s unpack that. An easier way to say it might be: self-control means being able to wait and trust God and His plans. Christians are able to be patient as they look forward to what God will do and to be kind and understanding with each other as they wait.

Staci: That was easier!

Dannah: Based on that definition, what are some examples of patience?

Staci: Hmm, the first part is being willing to wait on God and what He wants. So maybe that could look like not complaining when you’re stuck in traffic on the way to a birthday party you were really excited about.

Dannah: Gulp . . . yep! That’s putting it onto the hot pavement of life for sure!

Or how about this: you’re waiting for your mom or dad to stop talking at church so you can go home and eat.

Staci: Yes, extra hard if my mom made her famous tuna salad sandwich for lunch!

Or how about you’re trying to teach your baby brother his times tables! And, well, let’s just say when it comes to math, he really struggles! But also, it’s hard to miss the fact that he’s not applying himself . . . not even one little bit. So frustrating! Am I right!?

Dannah: Yeah, me and math . . . I’m still waiting for God to help me figure some of it out!

Well, these may not seem like important things, but waiting on God is always important. When you have to wait it’s because God must have a better plan for you this time, even if you don’t know what it is.

Staci: What does waiting for God’s plans have to do with patience with each other?

Dannah: Well, first, we need to back up a bit, because did you notice we skipped something?

Staci: Oh, yeah, we skipped the part where we talk about God’s patience. The fruit of the Spirit in our lives is always a result of the character of God. It starts with Him! He does have patience, right?

Dannah: He sure does! Let’s look at a few verses.

Staci: Great! I can read some.

Dannah: First is Exodus chapter 34. That’s where God is giving Moses the Ten Commandments . . . for the second time. 

Staci: Wait, what? He gave them twice?

Dannah: Yeah, remember, because the first time, when Moses came down the mountain, all the Israelites were worshiping a gold calf they had made, and Moses broke the stone tablets because he was so upset! How could God’s people worship an idol while He was up there on the mountain getting instructions for them?!

Staci: Oh, that’s right. I guess I forgot about that.

Dannah: That’s in Exodus chapter 34. And anyway, later God told Moses to go back up Mount Sinai, and He wrote down the Ten Commandments again. But before God did that, He said something really neat.

Staci: What’s that?

Dannah: In verse 6, we read it. Go ahead and read it.

Staci: 

The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out,

“Yahweh! The LORD! 
   The God of compassion and mercy! 
I am slow to anger 
   and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.”

Ah, amazing! In other words, God was saying, “I’m patient.” I never knew that verse about God being “slow to anger” was right there in that story about the Ten Commandments. So cool. God’s like, “Okay . . . I’m gonna do this again, because I’m patience personified.”

Dannah: Yeah. Let’s be clear about this: God hates sin. And when the Israelites worshiped that golden calf, it was idol worship! That was actually one of the commandments He was writing down. “Worship only God – don’t make or worship idols.” That’s basically commandment number two. 

Staci: Oops!

Dannah: Big one!

Staci: I can see why you pulled this story out to demonstrate God’s patience.

When the Israelites totally turned against Him and worshiped something else, God could have wiped them out completely!

Dannah: Could have.

Staci: But He didn’t!

Dannah: He didn’t (even though some of the people did die around that time). But God was patient, because He wanted to give them another chance to follow Him.

Staci: Wow! 

[Horse sound] Oh, it’s okay, Trigg. I said “wow,” not “whoa.”

Dannah: And He does the same thing with us. Staci. Can you read Romans chapter 2, verse 4? 

Staci: Of course. It says: 

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?”

Dannah: Thanks. We all sin, and God sure could get impatient with us and just give up. That’d be so bad for us. The cost of our sin, according to the Bible, is death.

Staci: Yeah, you said that the other day when we were baking!

Dannah: Well, I guess I did!

But here’s the good news: God doesn’t give up. He’s patient with us. He wants to bring us to know Him, so He allows us to go our own way so that we see how much we need Him.

Just think of all the years and years that some people rebel against God and then come to know Him later in life. As long as someone is alive, it’s never too late; because God is patient.

Staci: That’s pretty amazing!

Dannah: I’ll say!

Staci: And just like with love, joy, and peace, because God is patient with us, we need to be patient with others. Like our brother when he doesn’t want to do his math.

Dannah: Exactly. The apostle Paul has something to say about that too. In Ephesians chapter 4, he said:

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

In other words, we need to live according to who we are because of Jesus Christ, which means being humble, gentle, and patient.

Staci: So when your brother terrifies you because he keeps jumping out at you for the tenth time, living like a child of God means not getting mad at him.

Dannah: Yeah. And maybe even laughing at his teasing, if it’s appropriate.

Or if you’re trying to teach your little sister how to tie her shoes, patience means not getting exasperated with her after she messes up three times in a row. Instead of saying, “I give up! You won’t ever learn it!” You can say, “That’s okay. It’s tricky, isn’t it? Can you try again? I’ll help you this time.”

Staci: It seems like it really is hardest to be patient with your brothers and sisters!

Dannah: Yeah, because you’re around them so much and know them so well. But that means that if you can be patient with them, you can be patient with anybody! They’re good people to practice on!

Staci: Oh, I have another one. How about when your parents say you can go swimming later? It’s so easy to ask every few minutes, “Can we go swimming now? When are we going swimming? I wanna go right now!”

Dannah: I’d say that’s not patience, for sure.

Staci: Nope. But instead, you can trust that your parents will take you swimming since they said they would, and you can wait patiently without nagging them about it.

Dannah: Your parents would appreciate that a lot! And it’s good practice for when God asks you to wait on even bigger things!

But remember, true patience is more than just being patient on the outside. Anyone can learn to do that, and it’s a necessary part of living life. But the patience that the Holy Spirit gives you is patience in your heart. You can act patient while still whining and complaining inside, but as God changes you to make you more like Him, He makes it so that you’re content in your heart to wait—to wait for your parents or for God.

Staci: Yeah, one time [story of time when you were patient outside but not inside, if you can think of something.]

Dannah: And then, was there a time after that when you started to be impatient but then God helped you to be really patient?

Staci: Respond]

Dannah: That’s so neat!

Staci: Well, speaking of patience, I’ve been waiting to eat that Orange Cream Pie! Dannah, don’t you think that pie should be set enough now? I can’t wait to put the whipped cream and pretty orange slices on top!

Dannah: I doubt it, but let’s check. May require some more patience.

Staci: See you later, Trigg and True! 

Claire: Next time your siblings annoy you, how are you gonna respond? With patience? I hope so! But it’s important to ask God to help you with that, because you can’t do it on your own.

Well, I hope you’ll ask your mom to go to our website, ReviveOurHearts.com, and find the recipe for today’s dessert. It’s Orange Cream Pie. Doesn’t that sound yummy? I hope you and your mom can make it together. Then when the rest of your family asks why you made it, you can tell them all about patience! Again, go to ReviveOurHearts.com and look for the episode of the True Girl podcast that’s called Slow-Cooked Patience.

Up next week . . . kindness. You’ll see how learning to be kind can change the way you see others—and even yourself—while making the world a little sweeter, one act at a time. So come back to hear what the Bible has to say about it!

The True Girl podcast is produced by Revive Our Hearts, calling women of all ages to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ!

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Orange Cream Pie

Recipe adapted from Food52, May 18, 2022.

Shortbread crust (or use a pre-made crust)

1 cup butter, softened or cut into cubes

2 cups flour

½ cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350° F. 

Combine butter, flour, and sugar. Mix and knead well with your hands until it turns into dough and there is no dry flour left. Press evenly into a pie plate. Bake for 10–15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before filling.

Filling

1 cup heavy cream

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

1¼ cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons orange zest

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ cup orange juice concentrate, thawed

extra whipped cream

orange slices

Whip cream by beating it on high speed until it makes stiff peaks. Refrigerate.

Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, orange zest, vanilla, and lemon juice until mixture is smooth. Add orange juice concentrate and beat until smooth. Gently fold this mixture, a little at a time, into the whipped cream. Do not beat or overmix!

Pour into baked pie crust and smooth it out if needed. Freeze uncovered for at least two hours, until set. After it is frozen, cover pie if not serving for more than a day. Thaw 15 minutes before serving. Before slicing, loosen the edges with a flexible knife. 

Serve with whipped cream and orange slices.

 

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