A friend I have played tennis with for years always admonishes me to remember the p-word, patience. I have played serve-and-volley tennis through my college years. If I had to hit the ball more than once after a serve or return of serve, I lost the point. The objective was to get to the net and put the ball away. Patience never entered my mind.
In life, that manifested into a ‘fix it’ approach to everything – discussions in marriage, situations in family and issues at work. While I may have drawn some satisfaction that the respective situations were resolved from my perspective, the reality was that those I interacted with tolerated me because they loved me. They were patient with me when I exhibited no patience at all. That is how God works. Heed His call to be patient.
“And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” – 1Thessalonians 5:14. Paul does not say to tolerate idleness, faintheartedness or weakness. The charge as Christians is to admonish, encourage and help. To do that, we must be open to other brothers and sisters in Christ as they admonish, encourage and help us on our journey with the Lord. That calls for patience with others that are bold enough to speak into our lives. And it calls for each of us to be patient with ourselves. It is a great virtue, and a great challenge! In his Truth for Life devotional, Alistair Begg writes, “In the Greek, Paul uses the word makrothumeo, a word that literally means ‘long hearted’ and that the Scriptures usually use to describe the character of God. … God looks upon our repeated failures and yet does not give up on us. He looks upon our doubts and anxieties and yet is gentle with us. We are called to mirror this patience. … How will you respond to your brothers and sisters who are idle, or fainthearted, or weak? Let your watchword in those situations and with those people simply be patience.” In a valley of life, our own or someone close to us, it is important to remember God’s ‘long hearted’ nature. While we have no idea why this valley of life has occurred (Job comes to mind), we must remember God is sovereign and He is up to something only His ‘long hearted’ nature knows of. Impatience may impede discernment on the journey. Heed His call to be patient.
In a doubles match years ago, I double-faulted sixteen times in one game, but I won the game. At one point my doubles partner asked, “Can’t you just let up and get a second serve in?” To which I responded, “No! Just play the net.” Obviously, it takes great patience to be my doubles partner. When I learn to apply the p-word as well as they do on the tennis court, the Lord will have completed quite a work in me.
Prayer guide: Thank You Lord for Your word and Your patience throughout history. I confess an impatient nature with myself that manifests into my dealings with others, even those I love the most. Forgive me. Impatience is a lot like anxiety, effectively functional atheism, a distrust of You. I love you Lord and trust You are always at work for good in the lives of those who love You (Rom.8:28). Help me discern well between tolerance and patience. Grant me strength and boldness to heed Your call to be patient with myself, my family and all I come in contact with, for the sake of the next generation. That is the dad You call me to be, and that’s the dad my kids need to see. Amen.
A faithful father heeds the call to be patient with himself, his family and beyond.
