Love is Patient.

"Love is patient..." 1 Corinthians 13:4

After an extended time of searching what the patient love of God looks like, I am here with a lot to unravel. I think it will end up being a bigger realization (for myself mostly, but maybe for you too) of just how much patience plays in the love of Christ.


At what times are you impatient? With who or what and why?

I think I've had to ask myself those questions everyday since I started asking God to show me how to love in His way. Sadly, I am disappointed by answers. (I am absolutely my own worst critic, but I know even these answers weren't due to being hard on myself.) I had to give myself these answers: "Well, because I think that person owes it to me..." "I just get so tired of trying to wait it out..." "I need this because I am expecting that..."

Those sound very vague but there were just no legitimate answers I could come up with. I was surprised to see just how wrong I was when I stopped and took a look at why I was being impatient. I often had to face my selfish little heart over and over again, and I still am! But sweet Jesus knows the difficulty of this lesson and turns me to His word everytime. Let's take a look at several passages that have begun to stick with me:

Romans 15:5
May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.

Galatians 5:22
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Colossians 3:12
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Titus 2:2
Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience.

God makes it crystal clear we must have patience in order to love truly like He does. If we say we have the Spirit but do not have patience....well, we aren't really living like we have Him, are we?

So just why is this lesson so hard to learn? Why can't we be patient with others even about the most insignificant things? I don't feel that I need to answer this for you, so I'll say what I have learned in this process. This could look different for you. Here's the honest answer I had revealed to me: We are selfish. As much as I hate to admit it, my heart knows all too well why it doesn't like to endure, wait or encourage when it's feeling a little unsatisfied or angered.

Let's think about this: What would it look like if we decided to strip away all of expectations and selfish desires that we hold to others and ourselves? What if we encouraged even though we felt too mad to do so? What if we listened? The list of "what if's" could go on forever.

Many people see patience as waiting...on everything. And while I believe, waiting is a part in patience, we can extend this meaning to much much more. Instead of expecting certain things from someone, just drop them. Who are we to say what someone owes to us anyway? Unmet expectations can slowly unravel our patience without our awareness. If we encouraged and listened instead of letting angry flames take over, we would save a lot of wasted time and irrational words. These things take patience and a lot of it. We have to learn to hold our tongue, take a step back and learn to pray. And yes, sometimes we need to wait.

Jesus is a prime example of patience. He patiently endured suffering for us and he was patient in the face of oppression and ridicule. He was patient in the face of frustrating people and with the needy. He was patient with literally everything. Because he was Love, he felt no need to lose it and freak out like I have been known to do. It was possible to show love in every circumstance and he did it. God does it everyday and if you don't think so, take a look at His word. :) I want that kind of love to be apparent in my life. (So it's only appropriate patience was the first step in learning that for me.)

You want that kind of love? Learn what it is you often find yourself impatient about. Whether it be with God, your family, or yourself. Find out why it grips you and start practicing patient love with it. Pretty soon, you'll see it in every area of your life. :)

I love feedback! Tell me what you are learning. Praying for this journey ahead!