Thursday, September 23, 2010

Got Patience!!!
By Karen D’Amore

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, PATIENCE,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23

She didn’t get it! Dabbling in “churchianity,” she reduced Jesus to a “spare tire,” pulling Him out of the trunk, in the midst of life’s “blow-outs.” Her childhood years of learning Bible stories, reciting Scriptures and singing “Jesus Loves Me” proved fruitless. She wore a “Christian” nametag, yet lived like a heathen…straddling the fence between Light and darkness. She spit in God’s face, trampled His grace and dishonored Him with her rebellious wiles. She was the epitome of a hypocrite and an embarrassment to her fellow believers. She lived a life of self-indulgence…yielding a spirit of impatience, intolerance and foolishness. When squeezed tightly under the painful consequences of her sinful ways, she would plead for mercy, vowing to turn from her evil behavior. Her repentance insincere…her lifestyle unchanged!

One can only imagine how often she got on God’s nerves, testing and provoking His patience! However, she was the recipient of His makrothumia (patience, long-suffering, slow to anger and wrath); the Divine balance between wrath and grace when God postpones judgment in hope for repentance. Late in life, she eventually “got it” and in a spirit of true brokenness and sincere repentance, she surrendered her heart to Jesus, giving Him Lordship over her life. The “she” I’m referring to is…ME, and as I recall my foolish journey, I am convinced that “patience” is God’s ultimate gift to mankind.

Makrothumia, in the Greek translation, refers to patience with people. It’s the ability to remain patient when people are foolish, and not grow irritable when they seem un-teachable. It is the ability to accept the folly, the perversity, the blindness, the ingratitude of others and still remain gracious. God often surrounds me with people just like the “old” me…people who are difficult, un-teachable, stubborn and frustrated with the lack of victory in their fence-straddling lives. My flesh winces with an attitude bent toward impatience, but my heart can’t help but respond in humble reflection of the patience God extended to me.

As Christ-followers, we are to exercise the same patience with one another that God exercised with us. Though impossible in our own strength, this attitude is manifested through submission and yieldedness to His Spirit. With His Spirit living within us we have the ability to reflect His fruit and character. Through this Spirit-filled nature, what once seemed IMPOSSIBLE is now “HIM POSSIBLE”! In the words of Jean Jacques Rousseau, “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” (1) Got Patience???

GOING DEEPER:
1. Is someone testing your patience? How can you extend makrothumia?

FURTHER READING:
Romans 9:22; 1 Timothy 1:16; 2 Peter 3:9, 15

Married to Dan, Karen is a retired police officer and is currently a Nail Technician at Craig Berns. She is the administrator for Oakwood’s Tuesday a.m. Bible Study and a volunteer at the Wildlife In Need Center.

(1) http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jean_jacques_rousseau_2.html
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