There have been many different minor issues floating through my head lately. None of these has really taken up a significant amount of time, I’ve only thought about them in passing. There has not been a major issue that has taken up my time as of late, and that’s probably because I’ve just been too lazy to put in the time to think through an issue to completion. Only having minor, passing ideas filling my head makes it difficult to write on anything with meaning. There is however, one concept which I believe I can offer up some worthwhile statements about: patience.
I am not a patient person. I find myself getting frustrated easily. Sometimes I feel like the pot is always about to explode, like I could just spew a string of vitriolic phrases without a second thought. I get ticked by people’s driving. I become bitter by the lack of courtesy shown me by others. I make quick judgements about people’s behavioural patterns and cannot seem to find any spot of grace in my attitude toward them. I also get frustrated by my quickness to be frustrated. In short, I am not a patient person.
Something has begun to change though. A thought has seemed to creep in unnoticed. The thought hasn’t been pondered on yet but it seems to have permeated the way I view relationships now. Slowly but surely I seem to be growing in patience. I seem to be able to offer true forgiveness, I seem to be able to disagree without growing incensed that the other person doesn’t agree. I’ve grown comfortable with allowing others to be accountable before God and not me. The thought, although a small one has nevertheless begun to transform my attitude toward other people. That God, in His patience, continues to work on me to transform me into Christ’s image. Although I continue stubbornly to refuse Him and to walk in my own ways, He has patience with me to bring me to where He wants me to be.
Grace - patience - has been given to me. God has refused to allow my rebellion to permanently ruin me. He has allowed the consequences of my rebellion to affect me, but He has never beat me into the ground because of it. He’s never told me I’ve run out of chances. He has patiently given me what I need when I need it, and patiently tried to teach me the lessons I need to know. I can’t imagine being the kind of teacher that God is. He’s willing to review the same thing with me over and over and over again. I’m sure He’ll keep reviewing the same lessons with me until I fully understand them. What a great God we serve! This grace - patience - that He’s extended to me has subtly begun to have an affect on me so that I now am trying to be gracious and patient myself. My confident prayer is that God will patiently continue to teach me this lesson.
