Makrothumia is about patience with people who hurt you. It is about being patient with your spouse when he has forgotten to take out the trash, once again, or left his dirty socks on the floor when the hamper is only a few feet away. It is about being patient with your child, when once again, they have not cleaned their room, or done specifically as you have asked, or misbehaved once again in public and caused you embarrassment. It is being patient with a co-worker or volunteer who just doesn’t understand the job, even though you have explained it time and time again. It’s about not screaming or flipping-off the person in the car that just cut in front of you on the roadway. It’s about being patient with the person who asks you the same question over and over again. It’s about being patient with a parent suffering with Alzheimer’s and who can’t remember from one minute to the next. It’s about being patient with the waitress or waiter who isn’t performing the task as you think they should, or being patient with the very, very slow sales clerk. It is about being patient with people no matter the circumstance. Sure we get angry at the circumstances, we get angry at the disease, the situation, the injustice, but makrothumia, Holy Spirit Fruit Patience, is about the person. Makrothumia loves the person - is patient with the person- is extremely slow to anger-and is never violent with another, either physically or verbally, regardless of the circumstances.
I realize for many of us patience is difficult. Our anger is, or has been, out of control and to hear me say it is a choice, makes you want to scream. I understand, really..... I do… Patience like all the other components of the Fruit is not something we can manufacture on our own. It is not a choice of our will. We can’t decide “Today I will not respond to others in anger” (if you are at all like me, that one just doesn’t work). I can’t choose, just as you can’t, to not get mad or angry. These are human emotions and we will experience them; some of us more then others. How we respond is the choice. How we respond is the evidence of “Holy Spirit Fruit Patience” in our lives.
- Patience becomes a choice as I choose to relinquish my will to that of the Holy Spirit’s will.
- It is a choice when I get on my knees to God and cry for help.
- I choose patience when I seek counseling to discover the root cause, discover tools to help, and find healing for my out of control anger responses.
- It becomes a choice when I choose to not respond in anger but choose to walk away, run away, go outside and scream, to remove myself from the situation so as not to unleash my anger towards another human being.
“Makrothumia -Patience”…. Is it easy? No way! Fail at it? You bet!!! But each time I choose to respond with patience, the Fruit of patience matures, in me, just a little bit more.
Eph 4:2-3 “Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace.”
Next week- The Fruit of Kindness…
My person that I need prayer for in being patient with is my 96-year-old grandma, Nonie. She lives with me and it is often really hard to be patient with not her physical needs - those I can handle- but the emotional neediness I get from her. She's always been rather manipulative and it's just really magnified now that she lives in my home. So please pray for me/us.
ReplyDeletePatience is...lots of deep breathing and tongue biting. (-:
If it were a color, it would be creamy yellow - the color of the Flan I make for my grandma daily because she loves it and it's keeping her alive. (I replace half the milk with Ensure, but she doesn't know that or she wouldn't eat it.)
This post is from Marian... I am simply the conduit
ReplyDeleteHi Sandra, I have made a decision to do much better on this study in the coming weeks and so far so good, I have finished Patience. Definitely one of my weaker points whether is with my self or computers, or come to think of it anything.
I think patience in a nutshell might be:
Patience is accepting something or a situation you don't want, but cannot change, as a challenge from God that it is something you must (or should) deal with in a Godly way.
I think patience would be sky blue. I guess because it is soothing and when you need patience you need to be soothed to act in a soothing way.
If you were still doing devotionals I think your blog on patience is a very good one.
Hi Janie
ReplyDeleteThese are trying times. Being a care taker for someone, especially someone you love can be so difficult. I loved your patience is quote. This often times is how we choose to be patient, tongue biting. I can remember on more than one occassion walking around with what should have been a bloody tongue from having bitten it so much with regards to my extended family relationships. What I haven't eaten to maintain a relationship with my siblings. But I have a hunch if you asked them, they might have a similar story.
On the flip side... patience with others does not mean that we have no boundaries and that we must allow ourselves to be manipulated. We can still be firm and set expectations for behavior, we just need to do it with understanding, love, patience and kindness.
I will continue to pray for you and your precious grandma. How special for her to have someone like you to love and care for her. May God richly bless you this week in some very special and tangible way! Thank you for sharing
Be Encouraged,Sandra
I have been doing the notebook of trust it is really opening up my eyes to the way God reveals Himself throughout my day.
ReplyDeleteIf patients were a color I think I would choose red. Red for stop, take a breath, inhale and count to whatever and ask the Holy Spirit to fill me love, joy towards whomever I am not happy with at the moment.