“Love is patient, love is kind…” (1 Cor. 13:4)
“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience…” (Col. 3:12)
The word “patience” seems to be popping up frequently in our Sunday scripture. “Patience” can be defined as the ability to accept or tolerate worry, stress, or delay without getting angry or upset. We all know people who are very patient and others who aren’t. We find ourselves, at times, losing our patience very quickly.
- That “internet unstable” message in the middle of a Zoom conversation
- Stop and go traffic
- Road construction you didn’t expect
- The many restrictions and changing rules about Covid
- Waiting for your turn to get a vaccine, finding a place to get a vaccine, counting the days until you are fully vaccinated.
- For kids the continued waiting to be eligible to get a vaccine
So many things in our world trigger our lack of patience. So often they are things outside of our control—and we would like to be in control! We can’t necessarily change the situation, but we do have control over how we approach it. Do we come at things with hearts of gratitude? Gratitude can be transformational—being in the same circumstances but seeing it from a whole different perspective.
Thus I encourage you each day this week to list 5 things you are grateful for. Write them down or tell them to a friend, post on Facebook, or talk to God about them in prayer. What kind of effect does this have?Let us pray…
Gracious God you clothe us with the fruits of your Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Help us to see things through the eyes of love and patience and to have an attitude of gratitude. In Jesus’ name, Amen.