I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,
entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you
have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
showing forbearance to one another in love, - Ephesians 4:1-2
The word I offer up to you today is patience. It came to mind as I was listening to a song. The singer offered up a message of patience as it pertained to one of his failed relationships. The lyrics coupled with the slow melodic music felt kind of like hitting the brakes. It is as if the singer wanted us to slow down a minute, examine the situation, and move forward in a way to wait and see what happens. While it looks like the end of his relationship, there is a glimmer of hope that remains. I think that this is a message that we can all take with us. This season of Lent provides us with a time where through self-reflection we can slow down, examine parts of our lives and adjust accordingly. It is a time of patience. Our time in God's creation is not a sprint but a journey. If we do not slow down we may miss something or even worse, look back on our lives and become aware of all the time that has flown by and with it our unrealized hopes and dreams.
In Paul's letter to the Ephesians he is encouraging the church to live out its faith. To be humble and gentle. To show mercy and forgiveness through love. And of course to be patience. We live in a culture that is always on the move. Our lives are planned out and structured from childhood all the way through adolescence and straight into adulthood. We live in an age of instant gratification. If we desire something all we have to do is long on to Amazon and with my student prime membership I can have just about anything I want at my door in two days. That is why we become impatient when we do not get what we want or something doesn't go our way. I find myself losing patience with people in some of the most mundane situations. It is only when I catch myself doing it that I take a step back and look at the situation again and ask myself why I was being impatient. As we walk our journeys we must keep in mind the words of Paul and walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called. To walk with humility and gentleness. To forgive others through love. To walk with patience.
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