Long Suffering  

One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life. ~Chinese Proverb

I was studying about long suffering recently because I struggle with this issue.  When I start studying a specific topic I often start with the definition of the word to help me better understand and also to jump start my study.  The definition of long-suffering is enduring injury, trouble, or provocation long and patiently.  This is an element of patience where you have the ability to suffer a long time under the mistreatment of others without growing resentful or bitter. 

This is a tough one for me.  Paul talks about long-suffering in the life of a godly person and the characteristics and qualities of this special type of love.  He talks about it in the nine traits of the fruit of the Spirit and again in Colossians in which Christians are to clothe themselves in it.

The way we grow in this is to first entrust ourselves to God.  We must depend on God to repay as in Romans 12:19.  We are called to turn this around and depend on God’s justice and also pray for God’s forgiveness of our tormentors just as Jesus and Stephen prayed for their executioners.

Second, we must develop a faithfulness in God to work on our behalf. (1 Peter 4:19) God takes the deliberately harmful acts of others and turns them into acts for good for us as well as others.  When we don’t retaliate, this often shows others who reacted in anger, that we are showing long-suffering which translates into God’s love being reflected through us to the other person.

A third thing is we can be provoked into anger or wrath by others.  We are then placed in a position to retaliate.  When we exercise patience when we are provoked we emulate our Heavenly Father. 

This is a difficult thing for me and I struggle with it every day.  I remind myself that God is long-suffering with me.  He has waited this long to allow me the time to be more like Him.   That is an amazing amount of long-suffering.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I want to be long-suffering but I struggle with impatience and anger.  I am not always patient with others and sometimes I lose my temper and become angry and that is not what you call me to be.  I need Your help to overcome these sins that abide in me.  I want to replace these with love and long-suffering.                 

Scripture:  But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.  2 Peter 3:8-10