Fruits of the Spirit: Patience, an elusive quality!
But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
Of all the gifts of the Spirit, I think I forgot to open this one. Patience is not my strength, and judging by the faces of people in lines, honking horns in traffic, and parents rushing children around, I don’t think I am alone.
God is our greatest example of patience. Face it, we must drive Him up the proverbial Heavenly wall! But he is so long-suffering, so steadfast in His love for us.
They refused to listen, and did not remember the miracles you had done for them. Instead, they rebelled and appointed a leader to take them back to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to become angry, and full of unfailing love and mercy. You did not abandon them.
Nehemiah 9:17
But what about our patience? Patience is developed through waiting and hardships. Kind of a “you might as well be patient because you are going to have to wait, anyway” kind of teaching.
Every hardship we Christians face will have a positive outcome at some point. It may take years, but our reward is not of this world. We may be persecuted. We may suffer illness, but we will be made whole.
Frankly, not what any of us wants to hear, huh? We are human, we want our reward here and now. We want the praises of our fellow humans. We want our egos stroked and the spotlight to shine brightly on us.
But think ahead. Put your earthly desires on the back burner for a moment. In other words… BE PATIENT OF SPIRIT!
Years ago I read an advice column. A reader had written asking if it was ok for him to seek companionship, to have an affair. His wife had suffered a stroke and was an invalid. He missed the closeness of marriage and wanted to seek it outside of marriage, even though his wife was still alive. As you may expect, hundreds of readers wrote in with their own responses. But one has stuck out in my mind ever since, and I think it is a great example of the Holy Spirit manifesting itself through patience.
One man wrote that his wife had been disabled and very ill for more than 20 years. The sexual part of their relationship had ended long ago. Had he been tempted? Yes. Had he succumbed to that temptation? No.
His reason?
He said that when he dies, when he appears before God in Heaven, he longs to hear the Father say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
What a goal! Allow the Spirit to fill you with patience, to take rest in the waiting and comfort through the hardship. The final reward will be worth it.
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