Love is patient, love is kind. It does
not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is
not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record
of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always
protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (I Corinthians
13:4-8)
A
few thoughts have come together over the weekend. First, there is yesterday's
questions: Do you love Me? Do you trust Me? If we love Jesus, that requires the
same things that loving another person requires - all those things listed in
today's passage. Have you ever noticed how many of the things that describe
love tell what love is not or does not? Nine. Only seven describe what love
does.
This morning, I want to concentrate on the first thing in the list. Oh, that dreaded word. Love is p.a.t.i.e.n.t. Uh oh. That brings to mind an experiment conducted years ago. They offered kids a choice. They could have one cookie now, or they could forego the cookie now, and have two cookies later. They kept track of the kids. In general, the kids who were able to delay gratification were the kids who did better later in life. Patience benefits both parties.
Being patient with people makes sense. People aren't perfect. Patience with God? God is perfect. Why should we have to be patient with Him? We need patience with God because in His perfection, God often doesn't do what we want, when we want or in the way we want. We want the one cookie. He says "wait for two." Sometimes, before we get those two cookies, we have to eat our vegetables, do our chores and our homework, etc. He doesn't tell us how long we'll have to wait.
The hardest is when we're sure that we're following His directions and all the sudden, there's a parking lot on the throughway. It's hardest when the thing we want is not only good, but apparently His will. How we handle delays is one of the ways we tell God either that we love and trust Him, or that we don't. What's more important to us, our relationships with Him, or our relationships with whatever it is we want? Ouch.
This morning, I want to concentrate on the first thing in the list. Oh, that dreaded word. Love is p.a.t.i.e.n.t. Uh oh. That brings to mind an experiment conducted years ago. They offered kids a choice. They could have one cookie now, or they could forego the cookie now, and have two cookies later. They kept track of the kids. In general, the kids who were able to delay gratification were the kids who did better later in life. Patience benefits both parties.
Being patient with people makes sense. People aren't perfect. Patience with God? God is perfect. Why should we have to be patient with Him? We need patience with God because in His perfection, God often doesn't do what we want, when we want or in the way we want. We want the one cookie. He says "wait for two." Sometimes, before we get those two cookies, we have to eat our vegetables, do our chores and our homework, etc. He doesn't tell us how long we'll have to wait.
The hardest is when we're sure that we're following His directions and all the sudden, there's a parking lot on the throughway. It's hardest when the thing we want is not only good, but apparently His will. How we handle delays is one of the ways we tell God either that we love and trust Him, or that we don't. What's more important to us, our relationships with Him, or our relationships with whatever it is we want? Ouch.
Comments
Post a Comment