Patience means to endure pain or difficulty without giving up. People often talk about needing patience when calming their anger, exercising, dealing with a child’s tantrum, or staying awake when sleepy. On the other hand, waiting means to hope for a person or a time to come. You wait for uncooked rice to become a meal, for a friend to arrive, for a flower to bloom, or for wine to ferment.
Patience focuses on the pain involved, while waiting emphasizes the belief that something will surely happen. Yet because both look toward a good outcome in the future, the two are often used interchangeably. True waiting always involves patience. If a farmer only wishes for a harvest without doing anything, his waiting is nothing more than fantasy. True waiting requires planting seeds and watering them at the right times—only then does it become real.
Patience in an uncertain future can feel only painful. But patience within true waiting—waiting that trusts in the fulfillment to come—brings not just pain but also joy and anticipation. The more we strive and endure for what we hope for, the more our hearts fill with excitement and joy.