Love is Patient
What a beautiful and comforting statement. Love is patient. If there's one thing I wish I had more of, it's patience. The so-called "Love Verse" (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) is this plethora of qualities that real love has, and I think patience, which is the first thing listed, is connected to all the other qualities Paul speaks of. It takes patience with yourself to change your ways into not being self-seeking, pompous, or boastful. It takes patience when memories of past wrongs or feeling of jealousy pop up and you have to fight them off. And, man does it take patience when the going gets rough and you are trying to persevere or find hope!
Patience is a vital part of loving.
One of the many things I love about Jordan is the fact that he has a never ending supply of patience, especially within our relationship. When I was single, I made a list of qualities that I wanted in my husband someday. One of the first things I wrote was that he be patient. I desired that quality because I see it every single day in my daddy. Dad constantly displays patience in every aspect of his life, whether it's at work, being a husband and father, or simply being the God-fearing man he is. It is completely woven into the way he loves us kids and my mom, along with every other person he interacts with. Growing up with him as the head of our household, it's no surprise that I knew I wanted a husband with lots of patience.
Fast forward to now that I'm grown up and getting married. It is due to an abundance of grace and God given patience that I am where I am today. I've written before that both Jordan and I took time off from the dating scene to pursue the betterment of ourselves and of growing in our faith as individuals. This was really hard for me to do because my whole life I've really just wanted to get married and be a mom. After high school, when God called me to take a step back, He was also calling me to grow in a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
That's right. Patience.
Many women wrestle with letting not only God lead their romances, but also the man! I know I did. So often, I hear the frustration that women are tired of waiting for men to make the first move, so why not step up to the plate ourselves?! Well guess what? We're lacking patience. This particular fruit of the Holy Spirit often manifests itself in the very nature of man and woman and the dance we share in life. As women, we must practice patience to let the men be men! It is in their DNA to be the pursuer, to be the knight seeking the hand of us, his princess and his lady. Let him fight for you.
Men must also practice patience in this area. They wait on the woman to respond to the advances made in her direction. Meticulously planning the way to win the heart of the woman he desires, patience is a key ingredient to success. In both sexes, patience is the most loving way to allow each other to embrace their true selves. Masculinity and femininity are brought out through patience, through love.
The road I traveled going from dating to not dating to starting to date again was filled with waiting and asking the Lord where He wanted me to go. There were times when I was interested in a guy and I wouldn't wait for him to pursue me. I lacked the patience to let him be a man. Or I got so caught up in wanting to get married that I entered into relationships that I knew weren't right. I wasn't patient. So God had me enter a season of singleness, and I am so glad He did. During that time, I was challenged by different experiences that grew my patience, among other things. Little did I know that the Lord was preparing me for meeting my future husband and to enter a relationship that requires a little something I didn't have much of before. You guessed it...patience! I allowed Jordan to pursue me, and he hasn't stopped even after proposing. When I finally grew in my faith enough to have patience with relationships, God gave me a man who who pursues me and makes me feel like a princess. Jordan is definitely my knight. He still pursues me every single day, which has allowed my femininity and his masculinity to flourish. In practicing patience, both of us have learned to embrace our roles as man and woman, which is amazingly beautiful.
I didn't really understand how sanctifying a God-centered relationship was until I was in one. Loving another human in the way God intends, especially in marriage (or on the journey toward marriage) requires so much patience! Not just with the one you love, but also with God and with yourself. See, loving Jordan means that I put his needs and wants before my own. I might want something, but he is more important to me than my desires are. Following God's plan for me/us is more important than my wants are. I have to be patient in all of these areas and allow myself to be selfless. Being patient in choosing to abstain from sex until we're married is really hard! But in doing so, our love is growing stronger in every way, not just physical. No relationship is perfect, and there will always be hiccups. Patience is key when having a disagreement, or when you or your spouse is having a bad day. When one of you is lacking in patience, the other must bring more of it to the table.
Patience has a right-hand man, and his name is Understanding. Wherever Patience is, so too is Understanding. One wants both of them to be present in relationships because when they're together, Peace and Joy also thrive. People in truly happy relationships will all tell you that it requires lots of patience, and that's a good thing. When you practice patience, many fruits and graces come from it. How different things would be if the Lord chose to never exercise patience with humans, which have to be His most frustrating creation. But you see, God is Love. And you know what the Bible says about love?
Love is patient.
Patience is a vital part of loving.
One of the many things I love about Jordan is the fact that he has a never ending supply of patience, especially within our relationship. When I was single, I made a list of qualities that I wanted in my husband someday. One of the first things I wrote was that he be patient. I desired that quality because I see it every single day in my daddy. Dad constantly displays patience in every aspect of his life, whether it's at work, being a husband and father, or simply being the God-fearing man he is. It is completely woven into the way he loves us kids and my mom, along with every other person he interacts with. Growing up with him as the head of our household, it's no surprise that I knew I wanted a husband with lots of patience.
Fast forward to now that I'm grown up and getting married. It is due to an abundance of grace and God given patience that I am where I am today. I've written before that both Jordan and I took time off from the dating scene to pursue the betterment of ourselves and of growing in our faith as individuals. This was really hard for me to do because my whole life I've really just wanted to get married and be a mom. After high school, when God called me to take a step back, He was also calling me to grow in a fruit of the Holy Spirit.
That's right. Patience.
Many women wrestle with letting not only God lead their romances, but also the man! I know I did. So often, I hear the frustration that women are tired of waiting for men to make the first move, so why not step up to the plate ourselves?! Well guess what? We're lacking patience. This particular fruit of the Holy Spirit often manifests itself in the very nature of man and woman and the dance we share in life. As women, we must practice patience to let the men be men! It is in their DNA to be the pursuer, to be the knight seeking the hand of us, his princess and his lady. Let him fight for you.
Men must also practice patience in this area. They wait on the woman to respond to the advances made in her direction. Meticulously planning the way to win the heart of the woman he desires, patience is a key ingredient to success. In both sexes, patience is the most loving way to allow each other to embrace their true selves. Masculinity and femininity are brought out through patience, through love.
The road I traveled going from dating to not dating to starting to date again was filled with waiting and asking the Lord where He wanted me to go. There were times when I was interested in a guy and I wouldn't wait for him to pursue me. I lacked the patience to let him be a man. Or I got so caught up in wanting to get married that I entered into relationships that I knew weren't right. I wasn't patient. So God had me enter a season of singleness, and I am so glad He did. During that time, I was challenged by different experiences that grew my patience, among other things. Little did I know that the Lord was preparing me for meeting my future husband and to enter a relationship that requires a little something I didn't have much of before. You guessed it...patience! I allowed Jordan to pursue me, and he hasn't stopped even after proposing. When I finally grew in my faith enough to have patience with relationships, God gave me a man who who pursues me and makes me feel like a princess. Jordan is definitely my knight. He still pursues me every single day, which has allowed my femininity and his masculinity to flourish. In practicing patience, both of us have learned to embrace our roles as man and woman, which is amazingly beautiful.
I didn't really understand how sanctifying a God-centered relationship was until I was in one. Loving another human in the way God intends, especially in marriage (or on the journey toward marriage) requires so much patience! Not just with the one you love, but also with God and with yourself. See, loving Jordan means that I put his needs and wants before my own. I might want something, but he is more important to me than my desires are. Following God's plan for me/us is more important than my wants are. I have to be patient in all of these areas and allow myself to be selfless. Being patient in choosing to abstain from sex until we're married is really hard! But in doing so, our love is growing stronger in every way, not just physical. No relationship is perfect, and there will always be hiccups. Patience is key when having a disagreement, or when you or your spouse is having a bad day. When one of you is lacking in patience, the other must bring more of it to the table.
Patience has a right-hand man, and his name is Understanding. Wherever Patience is, so too is Understanding. One wants both of them to be present in relationships because when they're together, Peace and Joy also thrive. People in truly happy relationships will all tell you that it requires lots of patience, and that's a good thing. When you practice patience, many fruits and graces come from it. How different things would be if the Lord chose to never exercise patience with humans, which have to be His most frustrating creation. But you see, God is Love. And you know what the Bible says about love?
Love is patient.
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