“Love is patient and kind . . . . “ (I Corinthians 13:4, ESV)
The holiday season can be stressful. We’ve got places to go, things to do, and not much time to fit it all in. When stores are crowded and lines are slow, patience may be in short supply—mine, yours and everyone else’s. Maybe it’s time to pause, take a deep breath, and look at those around us. We never know the pressure and worries others may be going through.
Let me tell you about an evening I once shared with a group of friends. We were celebrating a birthday and were looking forward to a nice time together.
when things go wrong
When we arrived at the restaurant, the hostess seated us. Then we waited. Eventually a waitress came and asked about our beverages. We waited. Our food orders were eventually taken. We waited longer. The food finally came—but was lukewarm. It had waited somewhere too.
What was to have been a fun birthday celebration became an evening of endurance. But we were in a relaxed mood and decided to catch up on news and forget the poor service. No one even mentioned the cold food. At one point the waitress explained that her co-worker left sick and there no one else to wait tables. She tried her best, but it wasn’t the evening we had planned.
We could have complained, even kicked up a little fuss about the cold food, lack of refills on beverages, and the slow service, but we didn’t. Just as we collected purses and coats to leave, the waitress asked, “What church do you attend? I want to find a new church.”
our patience is our witness
Our patience is a witness to our walk with God. But sometimes we fail that test. We live in a hurried, “me first” world, and some have seemingly forgotten this fruit of the Spirit. How dare anyone push ahead of us in line! Or whip into that parking spot we were positioned to pull into. Yes, these and other annoyances can be frustrating, but that doesn’t give us the right to treat others with rudeness and disrespect.
It’s easy to allow petty irritations to increase our stress and ruin our day, but is it worth it? Impatience also has a tag-along friend named anger. This duo will cause us to quickly lose control and that can lead to damaged relationships.
Ecclesiastes 7:8-9 says, “The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.”
I like the humorous way an old Dutch proverb expresses it: “A handful of patience is worth a bushel of brains.”
It starts with love
First Corinthians 13:4 reminds us that love is both patient and kind. During this busy Christmas season, let us take time to love others and respond with patience and kindness. Instead of letting the busyness and little frustrations of the season get the best of us, let’s choose to treat others with the gentle patience that true love requires. After all, Christmas is the story of Love. It came gift-wrapped in swaddling clothes and was placed in a manger.
When we feel our frustrations and impatience rising, remember the words of Ephesians 4:2.
“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love” (NLT).
Devotion by Mary Loudermilk
