Colossians 3:13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Patience is measured with love. Patience makes room for forgiveness. Patience gives the tenacity to keep on loving and not to give up on anyone. The first and foremost expression of ‘sincere and genuine love’ is patience. Love is patient, love is kind (1 Corinthians 13:4a). While tolerance will push us into frustration, patience will fuel love. The thread that holds, binds and weaves a relationship in love is “patience”. Patience is the balm that heals offenses and gives us the strength to forgive and accept each other.
Jesus taught us to be patient with those who repeat mistakes and regret the same issue over and over again. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-22). There is no cap on the number of times we have to forgive a person and there is no limit to which we must be patient. Limitless patience is required for unconditional love and unassuming forgiveness. This does not mean that we must allow people to walk all over us; it only means that we must extend forgiveness even when they don’t deserve it. Such love is impossible to exercise unless we are clothed in patience.
Patience is the expression of Love:
1. Erase: Patience stops us from making nasty or snappy replies. Patience will never bring back the past to humiliate a person. Patience is the eraser that wipes out the offence and slathers a relationship with love.
2. Enrich: Patience helps us to see the good, noble, lovely, admirable and excellent in others even when they fail and flounder several times over the same issue. Patience enriches a relationship by accentuating the honourable virtues in a person.
3. Endure: Patience gives us the ability to accept rather than be annoyed. Patience endows us with empathy instead of being irritated and frustrated. Patience gives us the endurance to bring the best out of the person.
Patience is the true expression of love that forgives and never gives up.
Prayer: Sovereign Saviour, make me like you, patient and enduring, empathetic and compassionate. Amen.
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