Patience
Galatians 5:22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Ephesians 4:23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
As I’ve mentioned many times previously, I have little patience. I think I was born with none, and then through parental correction, sullenly tried to learn to have some. And now with God’s help, I’ve developed some more. Please do not misread, and think this means I am a patient person!
But it is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. This means that as we get closer, develop more learning of how God wants us to behave, believe the words and instructions written for us, and develop our faith, we work to become a new person, clothed and behaving more like Jesus. One will often see the word longsuffering written as one of the fruits, and this translates as patience.
It amazes me that I can recognize the growth within. Probably because I was so without patience – and this of course also translates to being incredibly self-centered and selfish. So, then armed with that knowledge too, it’s easy for me to see several areas I need to work on.
I’ll also admit to groaning and persistently saying “oh, I am such a loser. God must weep daily and shake His head over me. I am such a miserable selfish thing….” And keep my mind focused on these negative aspects. However, that is not what God wants either.
God loves us, and we are His creation and He doesn’t make mistakes. And by beating ourselves over our perceived flaws and failings, and continuing berating ourselves, we concentrate on the negatives. We then may compare ourselves to others, and therefore are not working on the strengths and blessings He has given us.
He has made us unique….not a comparison with someone else. Each of us is unique. So our bottom line is not to compare ourselves to others, but to recognize where we need to grow. My root core is being selfish and self-centered which leads to other areas that need improving such as my impatience and yearning to be more like someone else.
So, as I’ve come to recognize my areas that Jesus would frown and shake his head, and murmur, “Kathy, Kathy, you are not choosing what is important here…” much as he gently admonished Martha when He walked here. My growth has been easier once I stopped beating myself with my verbal whip, when the thought (Yes, the Holy Spirit gentle reminder)would flit through my mind that I was acting in a selfish manner. Now I am able to recognize my growth. And certainly much as Joyce Meyers like to say, “I’m not where I want to be, but thank God, I am not where I used to be.”
And that’s our growth. We read about how we should act and then strive to correct our behaviors. And thankfully, enough of my selfishness has been tapped so I can recognize when I am backsliding and not behaving in a manner I would approve of, never mind that Jesus would approve of. But my walk is a lifelong walk. And this means than my growth is for the rest of my life. And it’s so nice for me to see the steady growth. Longsuffering…..my patience is growing.
Thank God for my walk with you which helps “mybellaviews.”
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