Love is Patient

Love is Patient …

Definition:
🔘bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint
🔘manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain
🔘not hasty or impetuous
🔘steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity

“The quality or virtue of patience is presented as either forbearance or endurance. In the former sense it is a quality of self-restraint or of not giving way to anger, even in the face of provocation; it is attributed to both God and man and is closely related to mercy and compassion” – New Catholic Encyclopedia

Where do I even start? We tell our kids “just be patient” … what does that really mean, do we even have the concept of true patience as an adult … a parent? How many of us snap at our kids? How many of us complain? Are quick to react? … yeah pretty much the opposite of patience.

So what does patience look like? What does true Biblical patience look like?

Well lets start with your marriage (or just relationships in general). First off your spouse, or friend, or family member, they are a sinner … yep, I hate to break it to you but they aren’t perfect. They are human … they will fail. They will say things or do things that may hurt or frustrate you.
So how can our love show patience in those times? How about starting with not reacting hasty? Plans change, something comes up that is hard … take a moment, breathe, maybe even pray. Then look at the situation with a calm attitude. And without complaint?
Why is it that we love to complain so much as humans? Something doesn’t go our way … we can be so selfish sometimes. So without complaining, talk out the situation, or just show love by being understanding without complaining.

How about as a parent? Like I said we ask our kids all the time to be patient! Guys, our kids learn from us … How can we expect them to be patient when we aren’t? We snap so easily when our kids frustrate us. We react instantly.
There is a reason this momma needs her hemp, 😂, but really
can you imagine how much better your day will go when you don’t react right away and don’t complain about the situation with your kids?
So instead of reacting in anger and frustration, how about take a moment, get down on eye level with your child, and hear them out. Ask what the issue is and how we can resolve it. What they are feeling?
Respond with kindness … show them mercy and compassion.

And finally, how about my business or job? How can I show patience there? Back to the complaining again … cause you know we all do this. So easy to complain about a person or situation … so easy to get frustrated or even angry.
Let go of that anger and frustration, see how you can help the person or situation in a positive way.
Find a blessing if you can. Focus on that blessing.
And of course show compassion and mercy. You never know what that other person may be going through, maybe they are also struggling with something or just need help and don’t know how to express it.

So today … let’s practice patience. Don’t react instantly, stop, pray, take a moment, focus on a positive, and show compassion and mercy.