APRIL 22, 2019
LEADERSHIP, VISION & PATIENCE
There are different principles which if adhered to enable the fulfilment of vision. The first principle is to “Be Directed by a Clear Vision”. Following this, you must “Know Your Potential for Fulfilling Vision” and “Develop a Concrete Plan for Your Vision”. The fourth principle is “Possess the Passion of Vision” and the fifth is “Develop the Faith of Vision”. “Understand the Process of Vision”, “Set the Priorities of Vision”, “Recognize People's Influence on Vision” and “Employ the Provision of Vision” are the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth principles requisite for the fulfilment of vison. The tenth is “Use Persistence in Achieving the Vision”. The eleventh principle which is the subject of our discussion today is, “Be Patient in the Fulfillment of Vision”. Grace to endure is extremely key to any leader fulfilling vision.
THE TENTH PRINCIPLE – PERSISTENCE
Last week we discussed the importance of PERSIST'ENCE to the fulfilment of vision which was defined by the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary as “steady pursuit of what is undertaken”. Etymology of persistence included continue steadfastly. From the above two, we deduced that persistence has to do with patiently continuing or following through with the vision, not giving up, seeing the vision through to the end. After this we looked at persistence from a scriptural perspective. We saw from the holy scriptures that persistence includes an element of patience.
Hebrews 12:1 (AMPC) … let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,
Romans 2:7 (AMPC) To those who by patient persistence in well-doing [springing from piety] seek [unseen but sure] glory and honor and [the eternal blessedness of] immortality, He will give eternal life.
THE ELEVENTH PRINCIPLE – PATIENCE
This leads us to today’s transformation leadership principle, “Be Patient in the Fulfillment of Vision”. Both scriptures above show that an attribute of persistence is patience. One cannot overstate the importance of patience, not because of its connection to persistence alone, but also because of its spiritual benefits for the transformational leader and their organization but first let us define patience first from the ordinary dictionary and then from bible dictionaries.
DICTIONARY DEFINITIONS & ETYMOLOGY OF PATIENCE
The following is what the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary have to say:
PATIENCE, n. pa'shens. [L. patientia, from patior, to suffer.]
1. The suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil, with a calm, unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring or fretfulness. Patience may spring from constitutional fortitude, from a kind of heroic pride, or from christian submission to the divine will.
2. A calm temper which bears evils without murmuring or discontent.
3. The act or quality of waiting long for justice or expected good without discontent.
4. Perseverance; constancy in labor or exertion.
5. The quality of bearing offenses and injuries without anger or revenge.
The etymology of patience is thus:
c. 1200, "quality of being willing to bear adversities, calm endurance of misfortune, suffering, etc.," from Old French pacience "patience; sufferance, permission" (12c.) and directly from Latin patientia "patience, endurance, submission," also "indulgence, leniency; humility; submissiveness; submission to lust;" literally "quality of suffering." It is an abstract noun formed from the adjective patientem (nominative patiens) "bearing, supporting; suffering, enduring, permitting; tolerant," but also "firm, unyielding, hard," used of persons as well as of navigable rivers, present participle of pati "to endure, undergo, experience," which is of uncertain origin.
Patience has to do with calm endurance even if things do not go the way we desire it, bearing up under adversities.
In trying to fulfill a vision, sometimes, leaders will encounter setbacks, offences, exertion etc. The reason why patience is a critical element for the fulfilment of vision is that, in the absence of it, leaders may throw in the towel but if they have patience it means they have the ability to bear and overcome the setbacks, offences, provocation with a calm, unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring or fretfulness” (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary). Patience as per Noah Webster spring from constitutional fortitude, from a kind of heroic pride, or from Christian submission to the divine will.
BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF PATIENCE
Luke 8:15 (AMPC) But as for that [seed] in the good soil, these are [the people] who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in a just (noble, virtuous) and worthy heart, and steadily bring forth fruit with patience.
The desire of leaders is for their God-given vision to bear fruit. But fruit can only be brought forth with patience. The Greek Word transliterated as patience here is hupomonē with Strong’s Greek definitions number G5281 (ὑπομονή or hupomonē). Patience from the New Testament Greek perspective has to do with “cheerful (or hopeful) endurance, constancy: - enduring, patience, patient continuance (waiting).
Thayer’s Greek Definition defines hupomonē as follows:
1) steadfastness, constancy, endurance
1a) in the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings
1b) patiently, and steadfastly
2) a patient, steadfast waiting for
3) a patient enduring, sustaining, perseverance
Patience from God’s perspective is cheerful or hopeful endurance and constancy. When done in sadness and despair, this is not patience because it is not cheerful or hopeful. This can only be accomplished with reliance on the Holy Spirit. Leadership devoid of dependency on the Holy Spirit is not true leadership. Galatians 5:22 tells us that patience is one of the fruit of the Spirit.
SPIRITUAL BENEFIT OF PATIENCE
James 1:2-4 (AMPC)
2 Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.
3 Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.
4 But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.
Leaders in the pursuit of vision need to be fully developed in character and spirit. As noted earlier, in the pursuit of vision, we may be “enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations”. God tells us that when this happens, “Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience”. When we allow patience to have its full course and sway in our lives and allow patience to do a thorough work in us, we will become what the scriptures define as “perfectly and fully developed with no defects, lacking in nothing”. This is wat is required to run and sustain a transformational vision. The importance of patience in building our own characters as leaders cannot be overstated.
CONCLUSION
Why do transformational leaders need patience? Because it produces maturity of character which births hope, and leaders need to keep hope alive to see their visions through. Again, when pursuing the fulfilment of vision, we will face some contrary winds. In biblical language, troubles, sufferings, pressure, affliction and hardship that leaders meet on the journey to fulfilment of vision produces in them patience or unswerving endurance. And patient endurance (fortitude or hupomonē) develops maturity of character (approved faith and tried integrity). And character [of this sort] produces [the habit of] joyful and confident hope (Gk. elpis) of eternal salvation (Romans 5:3-4 (AMPC)). In the original Greek, character produces hope (Gk. elpis). “[O]f eternal salvation” is an addition by the translators. It’s not in the original. This hope maketh not ashamed as per verse 5. With this hope, you will not be put to shame, disgraced, confounded, dishonored etc. And so, we can see that the end of patience is hope (Gk. elpis) which is defined as to anticipate, usually with pleasure; expectation, and confidence. Hope is an expectation of good. Faith is the substance of things hoped for. Leaders, if they are to fulfil their vision, require patience, which gives birth to character and finally hope that maketh not ashamed.
