Blog

More…. Patience

Ephesians 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph 4:1-3 NRS)

In this letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul he urges them to be patient with one another.
Why patience?
Why exercise patience with each other?
What a text for us… as we wait and wait and wait…

Patience is that great giver.
Patience gives the other time.
Time to reflect… time to get things sorted out… time to be themselves.
Patience gives the other respect.
Respect their wishes and desires… their backgrounds… respect the others opinions
Patience gives the other understanding…
Understanding of their circumstance… understanding human nature… understanding that we all have hopes and dreams…

And along the way of giving patience – patience gives the giver of patience a new heart.
A new heart that is softer and more open.
A new heart that seeks to help others have a new heart too.

More… love
John 13:34-35

34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 NRS)

More love, Jesus says, more love
And in this case a very particular kind of love.
Not the love you have for your spouse or partner.
Not the love you have for your family.
Not even the type of love you have for friends.

It’s a type of love that should be present in all those relationships, and it’s also the type of love that extends outward, seeking no reward, without expectation.

A love that is more because what it does in the world.
This love is sacrificial love.
The type of love that sacrifices for the other.
The type of love that breaks down the clusters we form.
The type of love that extends beyond boundaries.
More love. In humbling yourself the kingdom of God comes near.

So… why the struggle with love? Why don’t we do this? Why don’t we love more?
Sacrificial loves comes from a commitment to God’s kingdom coming near… not an imposition of our own kingdom coming near.
When we are busy every single day, sorting ourselves into ever smaller and smaller groups of people, building our own kingdoms of people who think, act and see the world the same way we do we can far too often howl and rail against everyone else… our love… get’s small… shrivels.

And so our kingdoms, our world view get’s small… shrivels.
And we no longer see God’s kingdom…

But what if… we seek more love not within ourselves but by giving ourselves away?
But what if… we live into God’s kingdom by living into the creed Jesus is Lord?

You and I, all of us, are all living in between.
Living in between darkness and light…
Living in between despair and hope…
Living in between pain and peace…

We are not robots, we are human and we are fragile, we have fears…
And that we are physical beings, with cells that naturally decline or get disease and we feel pain.

One of my favorite poems captures this reality:
It starts with this line…
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And it’s true that part of us rages against the pain of the world.
It is a raw, emotional response to being persecuted.
But you can’t rage forever…
And Jesus doesn’t call us into raging… even in the face of persecution…
Jesus calls us out of pain into peace.

But… how?
First – be still…
Actually find a quiet place, a trusted place and be still…
And in that stillness call upon God…
Be still and know that God is with you, you have not been abandoned…
Be still and know that you have the strength of God in you…
And in that stillness, in the calm, recognize that darkness exists, do not deny darkness
In scripture Jesus calls the darkness, trouble, persecution…
Darkness exists and is relentless in its persecution of you…
But once you have intentionally, purposefully recognized darkness… call it out… name it…
And in naming that darkness, however you can, whatever it is, you are no longer simply a victim… filled with pain…
In simply naming the darkness, you have already stepped in the other direction…
In simply acknowledging the darkness you step in the belief of light…
And then the call for us to live in the light…
Each and every day, living in the light, doing what good we can… it’s that hard, but yet that simple.

Light has come, light is coming, light is here, the light of vibrant life…
Be still… and know that God is leading you into more peace.