Patience

Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear, discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness, and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success - Brian Adams

Relationships Take Time

I read this and thought you might appreciate it.

 

Some days I think we all have inherited a double dose of impatience. That could explain why so many of us despise shopping, standing in line, waiting in line and mutter when the driver in front of us balks at turning right on red. More than once, you know, we say about each other or sometimes to each other: "Sometimes I just don't understand you at all!" Well, NEWS FLASH, we're not that easy to figure out, either. 

There's so much more we need to learn about growing in relationships. And it takes time.

 

But why is that so exasperating? My guess is it's part of human nature. A congenital hurry-bone of contention inherited from Adam and Eve who started the whole business by eating an apple guaranteed to give them instant knowledge.

 

When we live by the false "faster is better" creed, we lose sight of the contrasting truth: Relationships take lots of time to develop and nurture. They demand long hours and years and even decades of work....and don't forget the money too!

 

But when you stop to consider the alternative, it's clear that relationships are worth the time. Why hurry to give up on trying when you can take your time and nurture a deep commitmment with someone else for the rest of your life?

 

Relationship Builders:

• Have you ever felt that your relationships should be better faster?
• Why is it so hard to be patient as relationships develop?

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?