"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience...."
~Galatians 5:22
As we return again this week to our ongoing series on the fruits of the Spirit, the timing of patience being our fruit to study today is not lost on me. I see the Lord in it because I don't know about you, but I could certainly use some patience right about now!
Some of you may know that I have an 8 month old baby at the time of this writing, but what you may not know is just what a struggle sleep has been for her the past several months. Not only that, but just when I think we have made a breakthrough in being able to get her to sleep for several hours in a row at night, she randomly has a night like she did just last night where she is up every hour and unpredictable as to how easy or quick it'll be to get her back to sleep.
And while, when I was pregnant, I naively assumed, because she was our miracle baby who had come at the end of a years-long struggle of secondary infertility, that I would never get impatient or frustrated with her, that simply is not the case. I wish I could say it was. But with my sin nature being what it is, I suppose I should have known better. I'm a sinner just like everyone else, and when dealing with sleep deprivation at 3am with no end in sight, patience can often be the last thing I have - if I'm operating in my own strength, that is.
Because that is the reality we have seen over and over throughout the first weeks of this series, right? We have revisited this important topic week after week, that what we are studying right now are the fruits of the Spirit, meaning that He is the One Who cultivates them in us, and we only have them as we walk by His Spirit.
So, on my own, in my flesh, at 3am when my 8 month old is up yet again? Instant impatience can easily kick in.
But when I am operating in the Spirit? He enables me to have patience that is humanly impossible. Praise God for that!
One thing that I find interesting is that many translations of Galatians 5:22 do not actually use the word "patience". They instead use the word "long-suffering". My sleep-deprived self finds that both fascinating as well as rather convicting, if I'm being honest! Because I feel like I am suffering when I am operating on 3 or 4 hours of sleep. But that is exactly what I am called to - to be long-suffering.
Paul uses the verb version of the same Greek word again in 1 Corinthians 13:4, when describing what love is - "Love is patient" or "love suffers long", depending on your translation.
This Greek word is "makrothymeÅ", the definition of which is as follows:
to be of a long spirit, not to lose heart
to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles
to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others
to be mild and slow in avenging
to be longsuffering, slow to anger, slow to punish
This is all rather convicting to me, coming on the heels of how I behaved last night when being repeatedly awakened. I did not persevere patiently, was not slow to anger and frustration, and did not patiently bear the repeated awakenings. But this reminder about this fruit of the Spirit is important for me to hear myself, for this long-suffering patience is what I am called to as a Christ-follower. It is not humanly possible, but with Christ, all things are possible. I can't conjure it up on my own, but as I commit to walking by the Spirit and leading and relying on Him, I will begin to see this fruit of patience come through in my daily living more and more - and more than I never thought possible!
And the same encouraging truth will be reality for you, as well, dear sister! Lean on Him, and He will help you through.
Reflection Questions:
1) In what area of your life are you sorely in need of patience?
2) What stands out to you about today's devotional?
3) How can it encourage your heart to know that your becoming a more patient person is not reliant upon you yourself? Will you make it your aim to walk by the Spirit and seek His help in this area?
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