God's Patience

God's patience is not like ours.  It is unfathomable.  How many times have we turned our backs on God and worshipped foreign gods? i.e. things, fame, relationships, self, carnal desires etc... And how many times did God punish us, only to welcome us back later with open arms?

Think about that....

Although our sinful ways anger God, He always makes His mercy new and available to us when we seek His forgiveness.  No matter how badly we fail, He still desires an intimate relationship with us. Even when we are reaping the sour fruit of our wrongdoings, He still draws us back in ... with waiting and loving arms.  NOW, that's love!

The test now lies with us.  Do we practice the same kind of patience, the same kind of mercy , and the same kind of forgiving love with each other? How many times do we say to each other, "I told you not to do that", "You didn't listen to me", "Why do you keep forgetting what I say", "If you weren't so hard-headed", "You left the gas gauge on empty again! Why can't you remember to fill up on your way home?".  Sound familiar?

If a Holy God can bear with us in spite of our daily transgressions, why can't we extend to each other a larger dose of mercy, grace and acceptance?  No matter how frustrated we may become with people, the medicine is to approach them with open arms - rather than anger, silence or judgement.  A lot of times, its not even necessary to remind the person of their wrongdoings...just being a friend, a human being, a confidant is wonderful enough.

This, ladies, is a clear picture of who God is and His patience with each and everyone of us. 

Patience Builders:

• What has someone done or said in the past few weeks that really frustrated you?
• How can you communicate patience and mercy in your actions?