Love is Patient

The Lord calls us to love Him and love our neighbor as ourselves. If we just leave it at that, it seems like something we can do. Well, we feel loving towards God and most of our neighbors. But as soon as we try to do love, we find we have a problem. The passage from 1Corinthians 13 today heightens our problem with love immediately for it starts out with a high demand.

Love is patient. If love is patient, then how is your love? Are you patient with your wife? Do you listen to her tell you about her day at the end of your long day? Are you patient with your husband? Even when he does not get the honey-do list done on your time schedule? Are you patient with your five year old when he acts like a five year old? Children, are you patient with your younger brothers and sisters? Or, do you make demands of them to act grown up like you? Are you patient with your parents when they are teaching you? Admonishing you? Disciplining you?

If you love, you must be patient. And to the extent that you are not patient with people, you are not loving them, nor walking in the fruit of the Holy Spirit. So, let us confess our impatience together and ask God to fill us with His long-suffering Spirit.