patience, patience, patience. how often i need this reminder. this year as i've been working with preschool students, i've been bowled over by how much patience i need each and every day! just keeping calm enough to answer their incessant stream of questions requires all of my energy and pushes me to pray for His strength. i like how elizabeth points out that we are heading into the fruits that help us 'manage the strain of personal relationships' because, as we can all clearly see, 'where there are people, there are problems!'
in colossians 3:12 we are called to be patient. 'therefore, as God's chose people, clothe yourselves with.. patience.' here is our clear commission! we are 'dress' ourselves with patience, just as we put on our clothes each morning. what a good picture to keep in mind as i'm getting ready to face the day.
how should we think about patience? enduring, tolerant, forbearing wrong treatment, resisting revenge, connected with mercy, and without any anger.
'patience is that calm and unruffled temper with which the good person bears the evils of life.. that proceed from others.'
being patient means..
01. being able to resist the temptation to react quickly/negatively/foolishly/harmfully/sinfully and instead keeping yourself calm and controlled.
02. you can pause and pray about the situation, letting Him handle it before you try to tackle it on your own.
03. gives you the time you need to yield to the Holy Spirit and respond in a righteous manner, instead of giving in to the fleshly desire to freak out about something. (throw a fit, back talk, lash out)
i liked elizabeth's section, 'things to do today to walk in patience'. i love clear, practical steps.
01. train yourself in long-suffering. learn to restrain your anger, keep calm and quiet. take joy in overlooking little things that bother you.
02. lengthen your fuse. ask yourself, how long can i wait? how many times can i endure this? God is always willing to wait for us, will we do the same for others?
03. remove opportunities to sin. remove yourself from unnecessary conversations/situations that tend to rile you up.
04. follow jesus' example. He never opened His mouth as they accused and beat and killed Him.
05. pray. the biggest and best step of them all. 'let Him fill you with His patience as you endure the hurt, without vengeance and for the good of those who hurt you.'
reading assignment for next week: chapter 7, planning for kindness
memory verse: proverbs 11.6
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