Shelley Casey
March 4, 2021
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12
noun: patience
1. the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
This is how the dictionary defines patience. For most people, and myself, this can prove challenging at times. As Christians, we should acknowledge our short comings and patience can rank pretty high on the list of areas we need to improve. However, friends, waiting is really hard at times! We have all endured extreme periods of waiting these past 11 months and some of us will continue to wait. Patiently waiting does not guarantee the outcome we always expect either. At times, this has been both difficult and a blessing in my life. How about you?
My focus this Lenten season is how to grow in the other 8 Fruits of the Spirit while I wait. I want to be at Peace, provide Love and Joy, show Kindness, be generous in Goodness, strengthen in Faithfulness, approach with Gentleness and practice better Self Control. As a gardener, I can appreciate the work involved with producing fruits. I want to cultivate this spirit in myself and with others.
Lord, thank you for giving us this time during Lent to focus on the Fruits of the Spirit. As it is written in John 15:2 “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Please equip me to wait patiently for the pruning needed so that I may bear Your Fruits of the Spirit, Amen.
