The Slow, Sacred Work of Patience

Based on The Fruit of the Spirit Study, by LGG / W3D2

Today’s Road Map for the Journey: Romans 5:1-5; SOAP: Romans 5:3-4

³Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance, character, and character, hope.

Romans 5:3-4

My daughter’s cancer diagnosis was not a cup I would have chosen, but I know that it is one that God used to develop, deepen, and strengthen my faith. Her illness and all of the suffering that came with it were used to teach and convince me that God is good, full of compassion, and abounding in love and grace. Through that difficult time, I experienced firsthand how intimately involved He is in His people’s lives. I saw just how purposeful, timely, and faithful He truly is. Without question, the suffering produced endurance as I learned to persevere through each day, every test, setback, and hospital stay. Little did I know then that, through it all, God was teaching me to trust Him on a different level, and that this new level of faith was producing in me a desire to live more faithfully for Him, to please Him in every aspect of my life. I believe this is what Paul refers to, in the passage of our journey today, as “character”.

While Annie’s suffering eventually ceased and life returned to ‘normal’, my trust in God has continued to deepen through a variety of other trials, each with its own source of suffering, developing an unshakable hope that God will do all He has promised. No matter what comes my way, I am fully convinced that my “ultimate end will be sharing in the glories of God forever¹“. Instead of fearing the next ‘bad or difficult thing,’ I strive to keep my eyes on Him, convinced – along with Paul² – that regardless of what trouble may come, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate me from the love of God that is mine in Christ Jesus. These years and the lessons that came from Annie’s suffering and my suffering as her mother weren’t wasted, nor were they cruel. They were moments, some better than others, but they all taught and trained me and reshaped me from the inside out, so that I’m not who I used to be.

Hope implies some level of certainty that we will receive God’s good forever. Hope defines the baseline or a “bottom line” for a Christian’s thoughts and emotions. No matter what comes along, we are fully convinced that our ultimate end will be sharing in the glories of God forever.

Bibleref.com

During those three+ long years, He broke countless chains, reshaped my thought processes, and solidified my faith with roots that are planted deep and growing deeper still. He was literally making me into a new creation! He taught me to trust and love… to wait and watch… To listen…To hunger for and study His Word… To love others more than self and Him most of all… To walk in His light, His truth, His way, and not the world’s darkness or my own desires. He showed me what Christian friendship looks like and how to be a friend to others. He taught me the gift of prayer is not just an item on a to-do list but one of the greatest privileges we have been given.

Refelction and Application

What season of waiting or suffering in your life right now could God be using to develop patience and Christlike character in you?

Response of Worship ~

I’ve included the lyrics because I think they are a beautiful and powerful message that we would do well to adopt as a mantra/song in the storms of this life.

1. Bibleref.com ↩︎
2. Romans 8:38-39 ↩︎