Summer break for the Lyle children and their mother is one day old. The joyful howling last Friday when the the students at Alicia and Landon’s school were dismissed was loud and fraught with victory. No more pencils. No more books. No more diagramming of complex sentences for Alicia or behavioral assessments for Landon. My little ones were free at last.
And on day one both their and Amy’s patience was already being tested.
Little brothers are a hassle to big sisters sometimes. Alicia is incredibly nurturing but lately her just-on-the-verge-of-adolescence frame of mind has betrayed her predominant sweetness. Amy and I have noticed some hormonal flux which has resulted in some sharp words from an otherwise soft little girl. Landon is smart enough to know how to push a few of her buttons and the resulting tension between the two offspring has led lately to some exasperation from Amy and some no-nonsense, authoritative commands from dad. Landon just kind of smirks through all of it but he has also revealed a lack of his own patience when his precise plan, assumed supremacy and capable mind are not regarded as being sufficient for running the Lyle household. He’s the low man on the totem pole and none too excited about the prospect of remaining there. He’s likely planning a takeover for the early autumn.
For all of us who have not mastered the spiritual virtue of abiding in Christ with patient, contented expectation, here’s some counsel from Paul:
“But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness…” – Romans 8:25-26 {ESV}
Paul’s context for that helpful statement was much more dramatic than what I am describing. He opens that chapter by referencing the exhausting issues between the flesh and the Spirit in our lives. For this we need hopeful patience. He moves on later to the issue of the whole of creation longing to be restored to it’s original glory. We need hopeful patience while waiting on all things to be made perfect. Then Paul speaks of present suffering in light of eternal glory. Suffering forces us to live, again, in a hopeful and patient confidence that God will work all things for our good. Perhaps the portion I should most emphasize is that Paul understands that the need to patiently wait forces us to operate in weakness instead of strength, therefore he reminds us that the Holy Spirit will act on our behalf.
For your consideration today I submit the following:
1. Can you still be joyful when God is delaying your desires?
2. Is there enough growth in you to praise Him for the work He is doing while forcing you to abide in limited power?
3. Is your patience more akin to tapping your toe and nervously looking at your watch or is it that of a calm, reflective maturity which confidently expects God to accomplish something wonderful?
4. Have you noticed that while God forces you to be patient in one area, you respond with irritability in other areas – like with people in your life?
Let us remain as pliant clay before the Potter as He fashions us for His own glory. Matthew Henry said that life-events belong to God while life-duty belongs to man. While we wait on God to align the events in our lives, let us have the deep and satisfying pleasure of fulfilling our duties before Him while we patiently wait on His well-proven hand to act on our behalf. By the way, when He commands you to be patient He is not asking you to do something that He himself does not do. Could we ever deny that He is supremely patient with us?
See..that is why people like me are drawn to Meadow….to be His instrument for YOUR patience. 🙂
I quit praying for patience long ago. He’s determined to “bequeath” it unto me so I know how it is going to be packaged. Difficulty, forfeiture of control and the occasional unreasonable person that He deposits in my life. One way or another, patience shall be learned.
I wondered what was driving the patience tweets! And I do think that it is a combination of trust as we wait that perfects (is that possible?) our patience. Prayers for all parents/caregivers as the kids get out of school. I, for one, am trying to refocus my prayers away from patience so He might stop giving me so many opportunities to practice.