"Patience"

They say patience is a virtue,

And I believe it’s true,

I know I need more of it,

But can be hard to do.

And why is that, you ask me,

‘Cause people who give grief,

Get on our last nerve,

And, Lord, we need relief.

But until He changes them,

He might teach us to be,

Kinder and more willing,

To respond more patiently.

They call it God’s sandpaper,

To smooth off the roughest edge,

Teach us to stop reacting,

Drop His hammer like a sledge.

And really it’s the Spirit,

Who gives to us His fruit,

And letting go of our control,

Is truly patience’s root.

So, Lord, just help us learn it,

We know it’s what we need,

We all want the harvest,

So help us plant the seed.

“Be patient with each other…” (Eph. 4:2, NLT)

Learning to be patient with people can be very uphill. Some of us live in a state of perpetual reaction, and never quite get a handle on what it takes to decompress and let things go. The Scripture teach us that we must be proactive about it, but ultimately patience is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps us to see situations and people with God’s perspective. The Spirit also manifests God’s very character in and through people. Ultimately we can learn patience if the Spirit controls and fills us.

Lord, manifest Your patience through us, in Jesus’ name.