It was the best of times
and it was the worst of times,
and James knew it.
He wrote to people
caught in contradiction,
faithful to Jesus,
yet still suffering,
still divided.
Stress exposed weakness.
Weakness found a tunnel.
Pain became frustration.
Frustration became grumbling.
So James says,
be patient.
Not passive.
Not numb.
Not pretending.
Patient.
Long suffering.
Able to take a hit
without returning one.
Able to choose grace
when irritation feels more honest.
Look at the farmer.
The seed is buried.
The field looks empty.
The earth keeps secrets.
The farmer waits
for autumn rain
and spring rain.
Then,
boom,
life breaks open.
The Lord’s coming is near.
Parousia.
Arrival.
Presence.
Can’t you hear the footsteps?
James asks.
The Judge is at the door,
near enough to hear
how we speak
when suffering has made us small.
Our world struggles
to know what to do with suffering.
It tries to remove every threat,
soften every edge,
make discomfort disappear.
But Jonathan Haidt reminds us
that adversity and setbacks
can help form strength,
fulfilment,
and maturity.
Not because suffering is good.
Not because pain should linger.
But because hardship
can become a forge.
Greg knew that.
After painful news,
he felt the old drama rising,
the tragic aria beginning,
the spotlight warming his face.
Here it comes,
he thought.
My moment to sing.
But this time,
he stopped.
He named the distortion.
He stepped off the stage.
He chose another script.
And slowly,
not magically,
he rose.
This too is patience.
Not the absence of pain,
but the refusal
to let pain write
the whole story.
Still, we long
for suffering to end.
We long for healing,
restoration,
reunion.
We have hope
because there is One
who can deliver that day.
The Lord’s coming is near.
So remain.
Endure.
Stay in him.
If Dorothy met Christians
on the yellow brick road,
what would we ask for?
The scarecrow wanted brains.
The tin man wanted a heart.
The lion wanted courage.
Perhaps we would ask
for patience.
Patience to follow Jesus
when faith does not make life easy.
Patience to carry the cross
when the struggle is not chosen.
Patience to trust
when we do not understand.
Dorothy only wanted
to go home.
The wizard could not help her.
At the end she learned
her shoes shoes already held
what she needed,
though she had not yet known
how to ask.
And perhaps that is true
for us as well.
The Spirit is nearer
than we imagine.
The help of God
is not far away.
So ask.
Ask the Holy Spirit
for patience.
Ask to wait like the farmer,
to speak like the redeemed,
to endure like the prophets,
to trust like Job.
Do not believe the lie
that you are only weak,
only fragile,
only insecure.
There is an unconquerable power
at work in you.
Original message by Sean Tan
The Bridge Church Macquarie Park NSW
28 June 2026
The Afterword 
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