- Colossians 3:12-13 - Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
- Galatians 5:22-23 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
In today’s passage, the Apostle Paul calls believers to 'clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.' In other words, we are not born with these qualities fully formed. As we learn to become more like Jesus Christ, these characteristics are developed in our lives — 'bearing with each other and forgiving one another.' The Holy Spirit faithfully guides us so that the fruit of the Spirit may grow in our lives, and our Heavenly Father provides us with opportunities to apply and further develop these traits. Today, let us focus specifically on patience. We often understand patience in a narrow sense — simply as 'waiting.' Of course, waiting is part of patience. But patience also means endurance and perseverance in the face of difficulties. When Paul calls us to 'bear with one another,' the goal is not just to wait for the other person to become better. We can stand by someone as they walk through their struggles; we can continue to help them. We care, we listen, and we serve in every way we can. In a world that wants to see everything happen instantly, patience is a very valuable gift that we can offer to another person. God has included patience as part of the fruit of the Spirit. This shows that patience is possible for every believer. Regardless of what spiritual gifts you may have, you can learn to be patient. For the glory of God and to serve others, clothe yourselves with patience and put it into practice.
Reflection
Who do you need to show more patience towards today, and how can you put that into practice?
