Patience - Jeremiah's Vow

Lent 2022 | Day 4: Remember

What is the purpose of remembering?

It is to give you a chance to relive and rehearse what you’ve been through without necessarily having to live through it again.

One of the obstacles we have to overcome when engaging in a time of remembering is dealing with emotions that haven’t been addressed or have gone unresolved. These memories are important even when we do not necessarily have a clear path forward.

The goal of remembering should be to enter into a deeper analysis of the events and to discern, as best we can, the lessons we can take away from them.

We should not be surprised when we find ourselves stuck on a memory unable to move forward. This is actually quite common. It’s at times like these when we should seek the counsel of a trusted friend or mentor. Sometimes in conversation the combined wisdom of your lives can bring about some new insights that may have gone unnoticed before. This may not be the best approach for everyone.

The goal of remembering should be to enter into a deeper analysis of the events and to discern, as best we can, the lessons we can take away from them.
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Sometimes writing down our memories and reflections can be helpful. Other times using our imagination to put ourselves into that situation may be the way to go. Regardless of the method we use, the goal should be to look at the event and the choices that we made, and possibly the mistakes that were made in order to gain a better understanding of how we can grow and move forward.

As we continue our journey towards Easter, it is good to take a moment to reflect and remember on those things that could keep us from embracing the fullness of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. This time of reflection is key in helping us to consider where we are on our journey of faith.

As we look back and even consider where we might go in the days, months, and years to come, remembering when we are not in the immediate emotional state of that event gives us an opportunity to think and look at what happened with a little more clarity.

This is not an easy task for many. But in spite of the challenges, it is well worth the effort. When we remember and reflect and consider where we have been and where we would like to go we grow as individuals and as members of the faith communities to which we belong.

We should not underestimate the power of our own spiritual maturity and development. It may be something other people do not consider to be of value. However, as followers of Christ, we are called to a continual journey of development. This journey can sometimes lead us to places and conclusions we did not anticipate or expect. But regardless of where we end up we can put our trust in Christ to lead us from there to the place he said he was preparing for us.

To walk by faith can sometimes feel like an overwhelming challenge. But that challenge should not cause us to despair or lose hope. We should continue to turn our attention towards Christ, allowing him to continue his work in us as he conforms us into his image and cultivates in us those disciplines that will yield a harvest within our lives.

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Lent 2018 | Day #18: Patience

I have stopped asking God for patience. I don’t do it anymore. And the reason I don’t do it is that I know that the second I ask God to increase my patience, something is going to happen to test it! I have decided that I would rather ask God for wisdom. There are several benefits to this approach. The first is that God promises to give me wisdom if I ask for it. I would rather have the wisdom to deal with the events of life than patience. I want to be patient. Please don’t misunderstand. I really do. However, I also don’t want to be constantly putting out fires in my life.

The second benefit I want to point out is this, when I ask for wisdom I am asking God to change my perspective. I cannot look at my situation in the same light if how I see it changes. And wisdom will change the way I see things. That is why it is called wisdom. I would say that almost all of the wise people I know have an uncanny ability to see things before they happen. Not that they have some special revelation from God, but that they can think through situations and important decisions so effectively that it’s almost as if God had told them what was coming. One of the bonuses of growing in wisdom is that if God does share something, we will be able to manage that information in a far better way.

Patience is a virtue, but wisdom is a gift. It comes from experience and from reflection. I hope that as I get older I will grow wiser and by extension more patient. I find that Lent is a great opportunity for both to happen. Don’t waste the opportunity to ask God for wisdom and thereby learn how to be patient.

What if?

“What if?” is a phrase that has been said time and time again. This phrase can create a number of emotions within a person. This phrase can also create a number of scenarios or fantasies inside the mind of a person. But more often than not these fantasies never occur. Other times “what if” can refer to the past and the wanting to change the circumstances of events that have occurred throughout a person’s life. I think every person is guilty of using this phrase. We so often use this phrase out of a discontentment and dissatisfaction for our lives or even more so the desire and want to change parts of our lives that we do not like or are even disappointed with. We become so discontent with our lives we can catch ourselves saying things like, “Well, what if I had,” or, “What if I did,” or, “What if this happened?” This happens very often for people but in reality, there is not much that we can actually do to control life’s everyday circumstances and events. But don’t we so often try?

As followers of Christ, when we say “what if?” what does this say about us and our faith? It’s so easy to lose sight of the intentions that God has for our lives. The world will often bring us to a point in which it tells us we need to be more, or we need to be different than what we currently are. But “what if” I told you that exactly where you are now and exactly what is going on in your life right now is what God intended? What often times will surprise us has never once surprised God. When we want more for ourselves than what we have been given we are saying, “God, you haven’t done enough.” Can you imagine that? Looking at God and telling Him that even though He has done so much for us, we just need a little bit more, or telling Him that something should have worked out differently than what He planned.

Contentment in Christ is where we should strive to be. Content in the timing that God has for our lives. His timing is so perfect that it cannot be understood nor fathomed. Every breath we have is perfectly timed, every step we take is perfectly timed. The people that come in and out of our lives are perfectly timed. All of this timing working toward the plan God has envisioned for the lives of His children. God knows our heart’s desires. He knows our wants and, more importantly, He knows and understands our needs. When life is chaotic or maybe you are at times confused with what is going on, find peace knowing that God has never had to ask “What if?”

Our God is not a God of “What ifs?”. Our God is a God of “I know.” He is a God that you can trust. He is a God that has a plan. He is a God that has perfect timing. He is a God that continues to give and work in our lives even as we doubt Him. Peace comes in knowing that God has always had a plan that is for your good. So, I leave you with this…

“What if” you let it all go and just trusted the plan and timing of such a great Father and God that we have?

Word to the Wise | “Patience”

Have you ever become impatient over a life situation you believe you should have mastered by now? It is very frustrating. How do we learn to be patient? There are two basic ways.

The first way is to go through a lot of trials ourselves until we learn the lessons that produce patience. Or, second, we can learn patience by observing other people going through their trials.

Suggestion: Learn patience with other people’s mistakes. It is less costly.

Three thoughts come to mind. (1) Learn to “cast all your cares upon the Lord and He will carry them for you.” (2) Practice “trusting in the Lord in all your ways and He will guide you to your destination.” (3) Practice “waiting on Him and he will never disappoint you.”

Even an intolerable situation becomes a welcomed learning event when we depend on His love and grace.

Pastor Luis Scott
Ambassadors of Christ Fellowship
(03/17/09)