Showing & Recieving Patience

Hello Dear Readers!

Lately I have been getting so irritated! (just being blunt there), Have you ever felt that way? I was sitting in class and these two girls were being so disruptive and interrupting the teacher any time he spoke a word. And I'm just thinking, didn't they learn to raise their hands? I was becoming very intolerant with them by the end of class time. There are many other things that have bugged me, but I think you get where I'm coming from on the matter.

It all comes down to patience though. It's ironic because all my life I have had people tell me that I am so patient. Well truth be known, I may not show my irritance, but I certainly am thinking it!

The Bible doesn't say though that so long as people don't know your intolerance that your a'okay. God knows all of our thoughts, and I think it's just as bad to think it in comparison to doing it.

Here are some examples of patience that we as christians are called to follow:

Numbers 14:18 (KJV) ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression..."

1 Timothy 1:16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

This one was convicting to me especially;

Romans 2:3-4 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

These verses have really made me realize that I am so imperfect and that in truth I am one of those girls that are irritating. God has shown patience and mercy with me when I don't deserve it, yet I can't bear to show any patience to these girls from class.

It reminded me of the parable of the unforgiving servent in Matthew chapter 18:21-35:

²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”  ²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.^[g]

   ²³ “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold^[h] was brought to him. ²⁵ Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
   ²⁶ “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ ²⁷ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
   ²⁸ “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.^[i] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
   ²⁹ “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
   ³⁰ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ³¹ When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
   ³² “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ ³⁴ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
   ³⁵ “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Notice how at the end it says to forgive them from your heart. It doesn't say to just bear it and not show your unforgiveness, but to let go of it completely from both actions and feelings.

So I guess that that is something that I have been thinking upon and realizing. It seems like I am one who tends to not show stuff on the outside while on the inside I just harbor it, yet it just seems to come back to me in the form of heartache from such a heavy burden.

If you too suffer from heavy burdens of keeping stuff in your heart then I just encourage you to lift it up to Jesus and not concern yourself with matters that really aren't up to you to judge (Like me and those girls in class). Here is a verse that is one of my favorites that I'll leave you with:

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

~Matthew 11

Blessings,