My Corner Online

Patience Fruit - Bible Bits Week 6

*First published 9/20/2008

The Choice
Max Lucado

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. Galatians 5:22-23/New Living Translation

I choose patience.
I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.
Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so.
Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fists at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

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The writing by Mr. Lucado reminds me of those poems we read that are forwarded by e-mail each Thanksgiving holiday about how we can choose to be thankful.

I look at this photo of the duck spreading its wings and can relate. Sometimes I get so flustered at the little things that I quickly spread my wings of anger at other or at a situation. I know I did it just yesterday morning when I discovered that my men had taken the load of my clean dress clothes out of the dryer and plopped them on top of the dirty ones getting ready to go into the washer. I was so angry because I not only had to wash them over because I did not know what was clean and what was not clean, but I did not have the pants available that I wanted to wear to work.

I got so angry I hit the washer and exclaimed out loud. Of course, my men were all gone to work and school, so the only one that benefited from the outburst was my poor dog. This is not the first time I have encountered this same "man-surprise," as well as other surprises they leave me at the washer and dryer.

I need to try to remember in these circumstances that the issues are minor. There really are much bigger problems in the world. It always seems to me that I have much more patience for the bigger problems of the world than the little problems of the world. I have contemplated this before. I even did a layout.

I believe that we do not loose our patience over the big things as much as the little things because they are out of our control. They are already in God's hands as there is nothing we can do to fix them.

However, in contrast, our little problems are within our reach to fix and it immediately raises our dander and stress level thinking about how we are going to fix the problem. We could complain, but does that really ever fix the problem?

I need to choose to give the little problems to God as quickly as I do the big problems. Just doing that would give me a sense of patience and peace.

It is all about attitude. We all need to give ourselves attitude adjustments from time to time. How do we look at a situation? Do we look for the good and have patience or do we immediate look for the bad and loose our patience?

Be Still & Know
Steven Curtis Chapman

Be still and know that he is God
Be still and know that he is Holy
Be still oh restless soul of mine
Bow before the Prince of Peace
Let the noise and clamor cease

Be still and know that he is God
Be still and know that he is faithful
Consider all that he has done
Stand in awe and be amazed
And know that he will never change
Be still

Be still and know that he is God
Be still and know that he is God
Be still and know that he is God
Be still
Be speechless

Be still and know that he is God
Be still and know he is our Father
Come rest your head upon his breast
Listen to the rhythm of
His unfailing heart of love
Beating for his little ones
Calling each of us to come
Be still
Be still