Love is patient
~1 Corinthians 13:1

This is certainly the time of year when we all think about those we love. I wanted to share some thoughts about the kind of love that Jesus wants us to demonstrate towards others. None of the traits are easy and all take some time to learn. Once you learn them there is no promise that you will be able to consistently show them towards others.

Patience is hard

It does seem that everything in life involves patience. We sit at traffic lights while watching others go through. And it never fails that our lane always has to wait longer than the others. I don’t hold that against them, but it just seems to be my luck. I go to restaurants and have to wait longer than anyone else for seating. When I go through the security line at the airport I’m the one who gets the “super extensive, pull me out of line for hours” search for explosive devices. The registers always malfunction when I get to the front of the line at Walmart. It never fails that when I want to watch a video on my computer that the circle of death buffer circle shows up constantly. Have you ever tried to watch a show in 2-second increments? It’s hard. I’m the guy who stays on hold for 30 minutes with a company waiting to speak with someone from customer service only to have to leave a message because all agents are busy. Are you getting a sense of my life yet? God is trying to teach me patience and I’m not a very good learner. Patience is hard.

Patience is necessary

We need to demonstrate patience in every area of our lives so that people will understand what true love looks like. This means so much that space does not permit me to write about all of the aspects of patience, but I wanted to share a few. Patience is necessary. You might ask why it’s necessary. You’ve asked a great question. Patience is necessary because that is how God defined love. He put patience at the beginning of the definition of love so that we could know beyond doubt that this may be one of the more significant traits.
People and situations require it. Others do things in ways we think are dumb. Sometimes they do things the long way rather than the smart way. At least the way we think is smart.

Patience is humbling

Another reason patience is difficult is that we think we know better than anyone else how to do things. It has to be our way. After all, we ARE right and our way IS the best. No one could do it better. Our way is more efficient. But letting others do it their way and in their timing humbles us because we have to trust that their way can work as well. Can you do that?

Some Questions…

  1. Who do you find is the most difficult person in your life to show patience towards?
  2. What are some strategies you can use to help you develop patience?
  3. How can patience help you in your current relationships?