Love is patient, love is kind.
—1 Corinthians 13:4
Patience is a proper but rare response to life’s irritations. It’s a great virtue; also, a great challenge.
As Paul was wrapping up his first letter to the Thessalonians, he did so with a staccato burst of admonition:
- Admonish the idle
- Encourage the fainthearted
- Help the weak
And he underscored it, saying, “be patient with them all” (1 Thes 5:14).
It’s hard, but shouldn’t be if you remember that this is the way God treats you. He sees you when you’re idle, fainthearted, and weak, but he doesn’t give up on you. He loves you and is relentlessly patient with you.
Mirror his patience with you in your treatment of others: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Eph 4:2).
Patience is a virtue of the strong.