At first glance this statement might seem like heresy. After all, God has done it all. Through grace and grace alone we have our salvation provided for us by Jesus death and resurrection. It is His Holy Spirit who makes us holy and blameless before God. It is only through Him we have peace and assurance, so how can we add to our faith?

This is a Bible verse found in 2 Peter 1:5 where it says, “Add to your faith virtue.” What is virtue? The dictionary defines virtue as an “admirable quality” or a “good habit.” So what is this verse saying? Simply this: practice good habits. Habits are learned. We are not born with the habit of dressing ourselves. It is a learned habit and becomes second nature to us. After we become Christians and are still babes in Christ, we have to learn good habits, from the Bible, from other believers and from our consciences. God will not clothe us with good habits or character. He will urge us to learn, but he will not force His will on us. We have to take the initiative to learn.

“And to virtue knowledge” v6 is the next part of the process. He wants us to be continually learning these habits that they become part of what we really know well. This is what we call character building.

Next in line to knowledge comes “self-control“. Thankfully we are not expected to have the self-control until we have the good habit and the knowledge. Before that it would be difficult to have self-control when we don”t know what we are doing. We don”t expect a child to have dry diapers until they have leaned the good habit of being toilet trained. When we are sure they know what we they are meant to do we expect them to show self control.

“To self-control, perseverance”. Here is where it begins to hurt! How do we get perseverance except we have trials! None of us like trials and testing but the end result is perseverance and this is character building indeed. “Perseverance through tribulation works patience” and how important it is for us to be patient and wait on what God has for us. You may be patiently waiting on God to save a close family member, while He is allowing you to build character that you will be a better example of Jesus Christ to them.

“To perseverance, Godliness.” Wow! finally, these are the kind of habits and virtues He wants to build into our character till we become more like Him and more useful for the extension of His Kingdom. Salvation is a free gift, the Holy Spirit to help is free, the privilege of prayer is free too, but the initiative to be willing to build character has to come from us. I sometimes notice people who come through trials and tribulations shining bright, while so often I go through the same thing and just be relieved to be through it! Well, that is how it is! The attitude of perseverance and patience if shown will allow character to build and make us more like Jesus in our actions and reactions. If we did not learn that habit we can”t move on to the next and isn’t godliness one of the habits we all want to be seen in us! !

These past months have required that I in many ways “be patient”. I am not fond of being 'a patient' and not being able to do for myself, and I am certainly not patient by nature!! Having gotten through the months of pain, casts and airboots, I somehow figured that after a couple of weeks of physio, things would be close to normal and I could do all the usual activities. But that is not what I was taught as a nurse or what I had conveyed to others in similar situations, so why did I expect it to happen like that?
One thing I have realized is that it is not getting through an experience which makes it a valuable life lesson, but it is how you come through it and what you learn from it. I don”t personally think I have learned to be patient through this experience, but I have realized a few things. I can empathize much better with those who have to be in wheelchairs. It is so unbelievably hard to reach up to shelves and worktops etc from a wheelchair. So often you need the help of someone else to get things.
I realize that there is “no gain without pain” in the area of physiotherapy and rehabilitation. A definite amount of determination and stamina is required to be able to continually hurt yourself with the goal of getting healthier! This is where I am at the moment in this process, and believe me, I am still impatient to see quicker results!
In our Spiritual lives, every experience we go through can be seen in this way! Sometimes we go through an experience and come no better out the other end, while at other times depending on our reaction we can learn from it. If we are willing to take each day as it comes, trusting the Lord to use us because of what has happened we can be sure He will. If we firmly believe that nothing can happen to us which is not according to His divine and Perfect Will, then He can use us in every situation He allows us to be in!
Why do some people who are very sincere believers go through periods of doubt or depression? Could it be to help those who suffer from these ailments? If that is the experience you are in at the moment, hang on in there, He has allowed it for a purpose and will use you in the lives of others for His glory if you allow Him to. How much easier it is to accept advice from a person who has been through the same experience as you and knows exactly how you feel.
If you are not in any situation you would rather not be in at the moment, don”t judge those who are or their reaction. Chances are you will go through some stuff someday and be called upon to come through not somehow but triumphantly. Dr, Harold Willmington often said, “Believers are either in trouble, coming out of trouble or about to get into trouble!” How do folks manage, without Christ to lead them through?
As I grit my teeth each day to the pain of trying to mobilize this ankle joint, or at the fact that it takes so long to do what I used to be able to do in a half the time, I have to remind myself continually that it has been allowed for a purpose in my helping others along the way, and in that case, it is worth it.
I have had more time to read and pray for people who need it, more time to concentrate on the needs of so many of our friends. I have time to reflect on the events which have passed and recognize why they happened as they did. How important it is to pray for those struggling to come to terms with health issues, who need that special touch of our Heavenly Father, and not only that they will be made healthy, but made whole, having learned that no experience is wasted if God allows it to happen to you.
And maybe also, just maybe, I could become a little more patient after all!