The Fruit of Patience

Galatians 5:22-23 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

Patience.......hanging in there with hard-to-love people.

Usually we think of patience as perseverence through the most trying circumstances. But this isn't the kind of patience addressed in the Bibles's fruit list. The word in this list actually means patience with people. It is easy to have patience with those we love but it is hard to display the fruit of patience in our lives with those hard-to-love people that come across our lives.

This fruit is hard to peel, much less practice, in the raw day-to-day of life! Patience doesn't mean we put on a "nice" face & ignore the reality of how we feel. Patience is hanging in there with hard-to-love people.....sometimes to the point of forgiveness but always to the point of love. In order to have it, we must ask for it & cooperate with God in its growth in our relationships. We have to want Him to grow the Fruit of the Spirit in us. But patience seems to be one of the tough-to-grow fruits. I know for me I would much rather see love and peace growing in my life than patience.....especially when it comes to the hard-to-love people in my life:)

What does it loo like to cooperate with God in the growth of patience in my life?

It might look like prayer for the person irritating me......other times when patience will direct us to lovingly confront the one who has offended. (Matthew 18:15-20; Ephes. 4:15)
It may show love to someone and forgiveness and then there are also the occasions when patience looks like creating space between us because space may be necessary for healing to occur.

Patience is hanging in there and staying with people who are hard to love at times. Friends. Husbands. Children. Parents. Co-workers. Bosses. Neighbors. Patience is a supernatural fruit that grows from the soil of our humanity. God can grow His fruit in our hearts and empower us to respond with patience to people around us.....even to respond with patience with the hard-to-love people in our lives.

Ephesians 4:2 - "Be patient, bearing with one another in love."
(NIV) -"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."
(NLT) - "Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love."

Colossians 3:12 -"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."
(NLT) "Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."

1 Timothy 1:16 -"But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life."
(NLT) "But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life."