The Slow Cook of the Soul: Learning Patience in a Fast-Paced World

I remember playing football outside my grandma’s apartment when I was little. Sometimes it was just me and my brother, and sometimes the neighborhood kids joined in. You should’ve seen how good I was—at least when I played against kids younger than me! We’d play tackle football until one of them couldn’t handle it anymore. I remember one “perfect” tackle—low center of gravity, wrap the legs, drive forward. Textbook form. But apparently, not everyone thought it was as impressive as I did. The other kid’s grandma sure didn’t. We never played with him again.

One day while tossing the ball back and forth, I noticed some apples on the ground under a nearby tree. My brother and I picked them up and asked if we could eat them. My parents said, “They’re not for eating—those are crab apples.” They looked fine on the outside, but when my dad split one open, the inside was rotten and the smell was awful. It’s one of those smells that stays with you.

That image stuck with me—the idea that something can look good on the outside but be rotten within. The Bible talks about that kind of fruit too in Galatians 5:19–21, where Paul lists what I like to call “the fruit of the flesh.” These are the behaviors and attitudes that come from following our sinful nature—things like jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfishness, and division. It’s rotten fruit, not fit for the Kingdom of God. But just a few verses later, Paul describes the opposite—the good fruit that comes from the Holy Spirit:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22–23, NIV)

These are the flavors of a Spirit-led life. We’ve talked about love, joy, and peace. Today, we’re talking about patience—that rare fruit we all say we want but secretly hope God doesn’t test us on.

The Epidemic of Impatience

If you’ve ever sat through a red light that won’t turn green or waited for a spinning wheel on your computer, you know how uncomfortable waiting can be. We live in a culture that’s allergic to delay. Two-day shipping feels too long. Microwaves are too slow. We can stream anything instantly, order food from our phones, and get irritated when someone doesn’t text back in five minutes. We’ve trained ourselves to expect everything now. So when God doesn’t move on our timeline, we get frustrated. We assume He’s late, when in reality, He’s right on time. Our timing is fast food; God’s timing is a slow cooker. And just like slow cooking brings out the flavor, God’s timing brings out our faith.

Peace Without Patience Is Only Half Peace

Patience and peace are siblings—you can’t have one without the other. Peace without patience is fragile. It lasts only as long as things go your way. But real peace—the kind that passes understanding—grows in the soil of patience.

When we rush God, we’re not showing trust; we’re showing control. We say, “I’m surrendering, God—just as long as You move quickly.” But surrender with a deadline isn’t surrender at all. If you never receive another blessing beyond salvation, it’s still more than you deserve. Everything else is just a bonus. Patience means trusting that God’s delays are never His denials.

Your Timing vs. God’s Timing

The Bible is full of people who struggled with waiting. Abraham and Sarah tried to “help” God fulfill His promise of a child, and it caused years of chaos. King Saul couldn’t wait for Samuel to offer the sacrifice and lost his kingdom because of it. Impatience is putting your timing over God’s. Patience is trusting His process. The waiting seasons aren’t wasted—they’re workouts for your faith. They build endurance, maturity, and peace. When my wife, Jen, needed a scholarship to keep going to college, it came through at 4:45 p.m. on the very last day before the deadline. God wasn’t late—He was right on time. That waiting season built her faith and reminded us both: God’s timing is never delayed; it’s divine.

God Doesn’t Give You Patience—He Grows It

We love to pray, “God, give me patience!” But patience isn’t a package that shows up on your doorstep. It’s a process God grows in you through opportunities to wait well. Romans 5:3–4 says,

“We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

Patience grows in the soil of frustration, watered by trust. Every delay is a chance to deepen your roots.

When You Wait Well, You Live Well

Patience isn’t just about waiting—it’s about how you wait. Isaiah 40:31 says,

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.”

Waiting well means trusting actively—choosing faith over frustration, surrender over control.

The Slow Cook of the Soul

A McRib might cook in minutes, but it’ll never match the flavor of slow-smoked ribs that took all day. The flavor comes from time. The richness comes from the wait. That’s what patience does—it adds flavor to your peace. It turns half peace into whole peace. It gives your faith depth, texture, and beauty. When you surrender your timing to God’s timing, you don’t just find peace—you become peace for the world around you. Patience said the Doctor. The Great Physician. The One who knows what’s best for you, when it’s best for you, and if it’s even good for you at all. “Patience,” says the Great Physician, “I’m pulling the best flavors out of your life.”