God teaches us, through Christ, to be patient but there’s so much more involved than patience. God has had to wait for us to come around. He lets us have our way with the ability to think for ourselves, but we are also free to make our own mistakes.
We have all the freedom we need to slip away from the hand of our Heavenly Father, and because we always believe we know better, God allows us enough space to fall flat on our faces until we finally decide to listen.
By allowing us to seek our path, God teaches us that He is patient but also leads us to the realization that we can rise above trials.
Romans 12:12
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” (NRSV)
Hope is such an amazing feeling but it’s important to believe and not lose faith, even though it may seem impossible. Worrying eats away at our souls and makes everything harder to handle. God completely understands our pain and we need to hand it over to Him and take a deep breath.
Let it go. That’s not to say we should just flippantly forget our issues and be irresponsible, but if we realize that we have the opportunity to communicate with God through prayer, we learn tolerance, persistence, hopefulness, and gratitude. The incredible freedom we feel when our faith is abundant, knowing God has us in the palm of His hand, is such an incredible gift.
The more appreciative we are, the more reasons we find to be grateful.
Romans 15:4-6
“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope….”(NRSV)
We learn from our mistakes, or at least we should take something away from the encounter. The Word of God is set before us as a guide and a teaching tool so we learn from the experiences of others or those who have come before. God shows us that there is hope in our trust, following the example set by Jesus Christ.
He gave us a new commandment, (John 13:34-35) “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you should love one another.” (NRSV), for us to live in peace and harmony with one another. Maybe that sounds cliche’ but God created us in His image which includes every person of every ethnicity, region, language, creed, or religion.
In the world today, if we don’t follow the teachings of Jesus, how will it be possible to ever achieve peace? Learning from others’ experiences and following Jesus’ example teaches us how to put aside phobias and misunderstandings and glorify God.
Food For Thought
What can we do today to spread hope following the teachings of Christ Jesus?
Pray This Prayer
Father in Heaven, thank you for teaching us patience, tolerance, and hope as we reach out to the Scriptures for understanding. We are so grateful for each blessing from the tiniest creatures to the tallest of trees, and from the privilege of prayer to the blessing of your Holy Word. Through Christ, Amen.