As we all face a new wave of restrictions and further periods of uncertainty about the future, an unpopular word comes to mind – patience.
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Patience is never a popular topic! We can be enthusiastic for a while as we take on a new commitment, start a new project, or even as we begin to endure something that we were not expecting. When it gets hard is if things do not happen quite as quickly as we hoped, and dreaded words like patience or perseverance start to kick in.
If you are honest, being patient might sound like hard work, requiring gritted teeth and the determination to put up with an unwelcome situation for even longer – qualities that you may not think you have. However, we all have a great friend in this – the Holy Spirit – one of whose fruits is indeed patience. |
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The fruits of the Holy Spirit are not simply qualities that he wants to grow within us. They are actual expressions, or characteristics, of his very being. He can grow patience within us because he himself is patient – which is very good news considering that he is constantly seeking to transform us!
Many places in the New Testament speak about us being rooted and remaining in God, and I believe that encounterprayer provides us with a lovely way of remaining rooted as we consciously seek to engage with the reality of God’s love, the presence of Jesus and the power of his Holy Spirit. As we engage with God – the fruits that he is growing within us will become manifest. |
As we engage with God – the fruits that he is growing within us will |
I doubt we will wake up one morning thinking we have just received a brand new gift of patience, but perhaps we will find that, as we look back, we have coped with what has been given to us with a measure of grace that we did not expect, and a new measure of calmness that was not there before.
Take care in these challenging times!
With every blessing
John Ryeland
Take care in these challenging times!
With every blessing
John Ryeland
