Fear of God

God offers a life that truly satisfies, but it's easy to keep putting Him off until later — through college, career, marriage, kids — and wake up one day having drifted. Ecclesiastes 12 calls us to remember our Creator now, developing a healthy fear of who God is and trusting His love enough to obey Him, so we become better rather than bitter with age.

Followers of Jesus are not doomed to just try harder to be patient — through life with Jesus, we can actually become people of patience. Impatience, like patience, is a fruit that grows from something deeper in the heart, so real change means going after the root, not just managing the fruit.

Courage doesn't get easier once we decide to follow God — it actually gets harder, because opposition always follows obedience. But like Nehemiah and the builders of Jerusalem's wall, we can learn to build and battle at the same time, staying resolute on what God has put in front of us until He's done what only He can do.