Love is Patient

I have been meeting with the ladies in my small group on a somewhat regular basis talking about our struggles in our marriages, what is good in our marriages, and how we can bless the man that God has placed in our lives. At our last meeting we started talking about I Corinthians 13:4-7 and about what love is and what love isn’t. We decided to challenge ourselves to try and really see what the Word has to say about each aspect that is mentioned in this section of scripture and also to challenge ourselves to really live out these aspects of love in our marriages and personal life.

So the first thing that is mentioned is that “Love is patient.” I took some time to look up this portion of the verse in several translations and most just say “love is patient.” So I also looked up the Webster’s dictionary definition is of patient. Being patient means bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint, manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain, not hasty or impetuous, steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity. I also decided to break down this definition some more. I looked up what it means to manifest forbearance. Manifesting forbearance means to show self-control. Wow what a statement. We are to show self-control when we feel we are being provoked, which means when something is said it arouses a feeling that can come out in anger and distaste.

I fail at this, not only in my marriage but also with my children. Patience is something that I lack a great deal of in my life. This is when I evaluate how can my children learn about who Jesus is when I’m not actively showing the fruits of the Spirit. God is smacking me around right now with all of these things running through my mind. I am trying to bring it all together but it really is one big thing that God is working on in my life. If I am not choosing to be careful with the way I speak to my husband or children this is showing a lack of patience which is what love is and it is also one of the fruits of the spirit. Something that was said last night at the ladies meeting through my friend was a verse that talks about how our words can be life or death to someone. I found a verse in Proverbs 18:21. The NLT says The tongue can bring life or death, those who love to talk will reap the consequences, the amplified version says that Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life,] and The Message says that Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose. Can I say conviction, conviction, conviction!

How do I live this out? How do I come to a place where I am so conscious of the words I choose that it only brings life to others? If we as the people of God really took this to heart we wouldn’t be in this place of where we wonder how others are going to see the fruits of the spirit or how we are impacting the lives of our children everyday. We wouldn’t be in a place of hurting people because of something we said. This is where patience is a vital part of our lives and how we live.

As I close today I am going to leave you with some other scriptures on patience.

Romans 2:4 Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

Romans 12:9-12 And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Don't just

pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is

good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other

Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble and keep on praying.

Eph. 4:1-2 Therefore, I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowances for each other’s faults because of your love.

II Thes. 3:5 May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

II Tim 2:24 A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.

James 5:7-8 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

I Pet 1:5-7 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

Rev 2:19 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.

Possible Mind explosion

Here I am at almost midnight. Thoughts are racing their way through my mind. I feel I have no control over them. The shut off button is not in site.
Tonight was my lady's group meeting. We have recently just been allowing one person at a time share about what God is doing in their hearts and minds or something along that line or coming up with a service project, really anything we feel compelled to do. Anyway tonight hit way close to my heart. My friend that was sharing was talking about how our words we use are either life or death. She was speaking about how her brother had impacted her in this area of life. This is a huge area that God has been working on my heart in.
And then kind of stemming off of this subject is the subject of the Fruits of the Spirit. Lately I have also been processing how my life reflects the beauty of the Lord to my children. I see such ugly stuff in my character, things that are definitely not reflecting the fruits that God says we should reflect. It makes me really sad to think of where I am and the responsibility I have as mommy to train up my children in the ways of the Lord. How can they really learn who God is if I don't really show his characteristics, his fruits.
Marriage is another subject that has been close to my heart for a number of years but more recently since we have taken over as leaders in our small group. Tonight a friend came to our lady's group who is going through a very difficult situation with her soon to be ex husband. It makes me sad to see someone else's marriage destroyed by divorce. But more than that I have started reading this book called "The Wholehearted Marriage" by Dr. Greg Smalley and Dr. Shawn Stoever. Maybe someday soon I will post on what I am learning through it.
Another thing I have been working on and involved in is an accountability group off of our small group that meets. Our small group's focus is on marriage. So we are taking a challenge of really digging into "what love is" out of I Corinthians 13. So far it has been good for me to do this digging. I have thoughts that I want to put together from this study and I would also like to post on this in the weeks to come and share with all of you what God is showing me through this challenge. I hope we can keep up with this challenge.
So now as my day comes to a close I am choosing to place all of these things into God's hands and let him continue to work on me because he will be faithful to complete what he has started.

Harry the Worm, and Roger the Mouse

Most of as a child had a favorite teddy bear, blanket or doll that we slept with. This past weekend my boys stayed with their grandparents while we went to the beach with some friends for some time away. They came home with these little worm things. Dakota, my youngest, has become greatly attached to this toy. He is so attached in fact that he is crawling everywhere with it and sleeping with it. He gets this smile of great contentment when he sees it. It brings a smile to my face every time I see how happy it makes him. So for him its not something really cuddly, at least not in my opinion. My husband and I decided the worm needed a name and thus he became known as Harry!
My older son has a little stuffed mouse that has become his sleeping buddy. It comes from a really great friend of mine who got it because she got her daughter one. One day I was asking him what his mouse's name was. He pops up with Roger. I have no idea where he came up with the name but it has stuck. I have a picture of his mouse but not one of Jabez with his mouse. One of my favorite things is when he is holding Roger and says "I love him." I think its adorable.
I love watching my boys love on inanimate objects. I just have to think that it will one day click for them to love each other like they love their favorite toys.

Tongue of Fire

The thought going through my mind right now is "out of the mouth, the heart speaks." So many times I come to a place where I realize how my mouth gets me into trouble. I lack the ability to hold my tongue and end up hurting others all to often. Its a choice that I haven't been making. Here is one of the verses that kind of talks about what I am thinking. "It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth." Matt 15:11
I keep running over in my mind that if I am to be salt and light to the world, including most importantly my boys and close friends and family, and I am having an attitude like this how is that suppose to show them who God is. If I don't have fruit yielding from my own life, how are they suppose to. I am a hypocrite. Just tonight I was talking to my oldest about the fruits of the spirit and how we should have them in our lives with our siblings, and then i turn around and use harshness yet again tonight towards a close friend.
There is another portion of scripture that is on my mind tonight and that comes out of
James 3:1-12, NLT.
Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. ² Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.

³ We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. ⁴ And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. ⁵ In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.

But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. ⁶ And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

⁷ People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. ¹⁰ And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! ¹¹ Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? ¹² Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.

My heart breaks tonight as I have again began to realize where I have failed yet again in this area of my life. Will I ever get it. Will there ever be the change there needs to be. I hate this part of me but do I hate it bad enough to do something about it. How are my children ever suppose to see who Christ is if I have this quick fiery tongue that doesn't in any way show who God is or any of his characteristics. How do I have the right to tell my child we need to be showing the fruits of the spirit when I don't even live them out. I am so frustrated.