1 Corintihans 13… “Love is patient…”
In 2014 I asked a few close friends a favor. Whenever they prayed for me throughout that year, I asked them to pray 1Cor 13 over me... love is patient, kind, doesn't envy, boast, keeps no record of wrongs, etc... None of the qualities that the Apostle Paul mentions about love are unimportant, but about a month into the year, I emailed all my friends and said, you know, you can just simplify. When you pray for me, just mention patience. I think there's a reason Paul listed that one first. If I get that one right, all the others seem to get in line. In that respect, it's kind of like the 10 Commandments. If you get the first one right, all the rest just naturally flow. When you love God with all of your heart and put Him first then murdering, thieving, coveting and the rest all decrease. I'm not saying we won’t get sidetracked periodically, but I'm saying loving God and making him our priority gets our posture right; gets us going in the right and natural path.
Patience gets my posture right. It gets me going in the right and natural path. Patience, to me, is like the smell of the pine trees on the way up a mountain trail. It encourages me to breathe in deeply of the air not polluted by selfishness or jealousy. Patience is like a wide-open space above the tree line where I don’t feel the claustrophobic pressure of envy or anger. Patience is like the giant bull elk my sister and I crossed paths with a few years ago. There, just a few feet in front of us, on the trail the elk stood. Imposing, but so unself-conscious. He didn’t ask to be looked at. He didn’t request a picture. He was not in the least bit self-seeking.
Quick fix has been the drug of distraction I’ve imbibed in the most. It has been my biggest downfall. With its help, I’ve turned from patience at almost every opportunity. But patience, ironically, has been patient with me. I have learned (and am learning) it actually has my best interest at heart.
On Mother’s Day, it’s good to be reminded of patience. Moms need healthy amounts of it. Patience when the child makes a mess, when the child cannot find what they are looking for, when they struggle with that relationship, when they get lost, when they take you for granted, when they grow up, when they don’t check in as much as you would like, when life doesn't go as it should, and when you're ready to step into heaven now so you can see your child that's gone ahead of you. But you hang in there. Even more, you love what you do because you know that mothering is the most beautiful job in the world. And it will be rewarded for all eternity. Patience gives you the grace to thrive at being a mother.
Moms, Happy Mother's Day.