“Where is he?” I mumbled while drumming my fingers on the steering wheel. It had been two hours since I had contacted my dealer. Now I had been sitting in my car at the agreed shopping center parking lot for over an hour.
We had been partying for two days and had already gone thru one ‘8 ball’ of speed. As I sat every nerve in my body seemed to be on edge. Grabbing the pint of vodka from under my seat I took a long pull, I knew everyone would be back at our apartment waiting for me.
I leaned back in my seat but could not get comfortable. “This guy always keeps me waiting!” I said aloud, slamming my hands on the wheel. I had lost any patience I had left. Opening the door, I leapt out and began to pace.
Checking my watch at what seemed like every 10 seconds. I looked up to see a red Vette pulling into the lot. I followed the car with my eyes as he slowly circled, checking for any sign of the law. Finally, he pulled up next to me. Slowly rolling down his window, he said, “Johnny, Johnny you look a bit on edge, what’s the problem?” With that he flashed me a wide smile, loving the drama of it. I lost it as I said, “Hey man, I have been sitting here for over an hour. You were supposed to be here at seven! What’s YOUR problem?”
The smile slipped away from his face to be replaced by a grin normally only seen in horror films. As I looked into his cold eyes I could see what was coming. “I said around seven, John Boy! You need to learn to be more patient. In fact, I think it is time for a lesson in patience right now.” With that the window went up and his car sped away. I looked on in horror, “NO, NO… I didn’t mean it.” I screamed at the fading tail lights. He was gone.
Maybe this isn’t an example of lack of patience any of you can relate too. In fact, I hope it is not. But one thing is for sure we live in a world that demands immediate gratification and when it does not happen. Most of us lose it.
With every step of progress over the span of history we find that advanced communication has not taught us to be more patient and loving. But just the opposite. We have become a people who refuse to wait on anything, to suffer a moment of so called lost time.
But how does this fit into a life of a follower of Jesus Christ? Can we, as it says in Ephesians 4 verse 2, live, “with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love.” If we spend every moment expecting immediate fulfillment of our every wish, I can’t see how. But I do believe there is hope.
The apostle Paul claimed that ‘longsuffering’ is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. But longsuffering is not a term we use to often in our day-to-day conversations so I thought I would add a definition here, “having or showing patience despite troubles, especially those caused by other people.” And maybe that is what we need in our everyday life, but as most of us will admit we need help to do so. We truly need the Holy Spirit.
The apostle Paul also tells us that lacking longsuffering or patience is tied to the lack of reading Scripture that we might ‘find hope’. “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you liked-mindedness toward one another, according to Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15: 4-5) Many times I find these days when I am lacking patience, I know I haven’t filled myself with God’s Word as I should. And Jesus instructed us in the Lord’s Prayer that we needed to ask for our daily bread. I do not think that was only in reference to physical nourishment but spiritual also, prayer. Scripture and prayer daily cannot change the pace of the world around you but it can change the pace of the world within you. Spending time daily contemplating on what Jesus has done for us, I think can make a difference.
My favorite Christian writer, Ellen White, might have said it best, “It would be well for us to spend a thoughtful hour each day in contemplation of the life of Christ. We should take it point by point and let the imagination grasp each scene, especially the closing ones.
The only defense against evil is the indwelling of Christ in the heart through faith in His righteousness. Unless we become vitally connected with God, we can never resist the unhallowed effects of self-love, self-indulgence, and temptation to sin. We may leave off many bad habits, for the time we may part company with Satan; but without a vital connection with God, through the surrender of ourselves to Him moment by moment, we shall be overcome. Without a personal acquaintance with Christ, and a continual communion, we are at the mercy of the enemy, and shall do his bidding in the end.” (Last Day Events Pg. 64)
The indwelling of Christ through the Holy Spirit is our hope in all things but I feel especially in our need to be long suffering Christians. Because only Jesus can still that inner world and with it bring the patience we cannot.
Years ago, standing in that parking lot, filled with two days of drugs and booze, I had no hope of patience or any fruit of the Spirit. I cursed my dealer and then an hour later begged him to come back and give me what I needed. He did but with no patience or remorse only greedy joy over my suffering. Today, I want to fill myself with the only substances that will bring the patience I need to keep Jesus two great commandments, …Love the Lord my God with all my heart, and with all my soul and with all my mind…and Love my neighbor as myself… that is the God’s Word and Prayer. That is my ‘instant message’ to all this morning as we remember His long suffering toward you and me too, may we extend that to others even in the midst of troubles.
Blessings John
10/2/17