“And we urge you…admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil…” 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

“God is the God of history. He does not stand apart as some mighty spectator but is in the process and the facts, ever shaping them (in ways that we can understand and in ways beyond our powers to grasp) to ends that fulfill a great and good destiny for men. This is no idle or pious wish. Examine the past and behold the unfolding of living process.” (Howard Thurman, Deep Is The Hunger, p. 41)

Patience is one of the most important teachings in the New and Old Testament. It is one of Paul’s “Fruits of the Spirit”. It seems that humans have been impatient, hard-headed, and restless since creation (and if you do not believe me just read a little from the book of Exodus). Adam and Eve were impatient — Jonah was impatient — the Israelites were impatient. Humans are, by nature, restless and impatient creatures.

Many know the saying “Patience is a virtue” — I think that G-d is the most patient of all — for G-d will never become impatient with you or me. As Howard Thurman says, not only is our G-d the G-d of history, but G-d is also beyond our powers to understand. As such, G-d is always with us — even when we can not feel that presence.

 A wise man once told me that the definition of optimism is a man who puts his coat on when his wife says she is ready to leave. The patient follower of G-d is a person who understands that G-d is in all things, but in the stillness or the absence of understanding, we still trust that our faith and trust is part of G-d’s plan that is a living process.

Like any of the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness, and self-control) we look to the Holy Spirit who provides us the strength to wait, patiently or not, for the perfecting of our faith.

Pastor Dave

“What if our strategy to win the world was to “play” people into the kingdom of God? What if we invited people over to our home and, instead of telling them about our joy, lived it by playing with them? What if we could hear laughter in a church as well as “amens”? A friend of mine is a member of a church who toyed with making their motto “The Church That Knows How to Play.” I think he’s onto something.” (Mike Yaconelli, Dangerous Wonder; The Adventure of Childlike Faith, p78-79)

Jesus said “Do to others what you would want them to do to you.” (Luke 6:31)

The Golden Rule. Jesus was making this statement toward the end of his “Sermon on the Plain” (Luke 6:17 – 26) which includes not only blessings but woes as well.

We are really good at establishing rules for different aspects of our lives. Our work places have rules. Driving on the road has rules. Even entering a store right now in Pandemic America has a new set of rules. I have been thinking of all of the rules that we have, and it made me consider the Golden Rule — but from a different perspective. Instead of saying “Do to others what you would want them to do to you”, we now are confronted with “Don’t do to others what you do not like done to yourself.” This forces us to imagine what causes us the most pain, or fear, and then form our behavior toward others accordingly.

No one likes to dwell continually on the experiences of life that cause us the most pain, or fear, but knowing what we are afraid of, or what brings to mind the most pain can help us avoid doing the same to others. The command to “do unto others” is not just a “happy” way to try to be nice to people, it is a challenge to us to understand what brings the most fear and pain, and then avoid doing this to those we encounter every day.  

It is always good to be nice to others, but it is a higher calling to know our own pain, and then never inflict that pain on another. It is a higher calling, but with the help of the Holy Spirit, it will help us live into the higher calling of faith.

Pastor Dave