“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12

Patient in Affliction

I’m embarrassed to say how whiney I’ve become in my older years. The fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, Galatians 5:22) should be in full harvest by now! Instead, I find myself lapsing into royal pity parties and banquets of complaint. Have you been there?

These poor attitudes always seem to crop up under trial, like my recent unexpected, unplanned and unappreciated injury. Don’t worry, I’m OK, but highly inconvenienced and incredibly impatient. To top things off, my husband, who usually handles the complaint department at our house (tee-he), was out of town, so who was I going to complain to? The dog? The cats? God?

Well, this is really bad, but I pretty much gave God an earful (the pets tuned me out early on). Didn’t He know this was not how I intended to spend my mini-vacation, laid-up and stuck for the most part in my house? After a few days of ranting, I began the pit-of-despair routine, and finally contacted a friend who graciously got to work (bless her, dear Lord) praying me out. To say I had a heart change is an understatement.

Thankfully, I was still able to drive, so the Lord allowed me to pass by a young man beside the road. His peaceful countenance caught my eye, as I realized he had a prosthetic leg. Wow, I thought, I’m still walking around, slowly, but with two good legs. Get a grip here; there are always folks out there with far worse afflictions, and far better attitudes.

When I went for x-rays, I just happened to meet a single mom who was trying to hold down a difficult job with the same physical limitations I deal with, and she was no spring chicken either. Oh my, I began to feel very fortunate. Why, my life could be so much harder. Bless my dear husband’s heart; he shields me from so much hardship in life, and I basically don’t think that much about it. I’m vowing to appreciate him a whole lot more when he gets home.

Needless to say, God in His mercy opened my eyes to see what a blessed life He has given me, and I felt ashamed of my whiny spirit. Patient in affliction? Not hardly. But I am submitting myself to the school of the Holy Spirit, where miracles can and do happen. Praise the Lord!

“Lord Jesus, it’s beyond my little brain to figure out the “whys” of this life. Believe me, I’ve tried, and come up with a big, fat zero. Help us to trust You to work out the fruit of the Spirit in Your mysterious ways. Amen, and thank You!”