Growing Petty Patience into Long-Suffering

This week, I’m tackling another fruit of the Spirit. If you are just tuning in, I posted an overview of the fruit of the Spirit a couple of weeks back (“God Doesn’t Have a Black Thumb”), and we have two more pieces on individual fruit that are worth a read: “A Piece of Peace” and “Reap What You Sow,” the latter of which covers both self-control and forbearance.

Technically, patience and forbearance (defined as “patient self-control”) are the same fruit, but, at the risk of redundancy, I’m going to take another look at patience. It has some more ripening to do in me, at least.

This time, let me share several translations of Galatians 5:22-23, which lists the fruit of the Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (NIV)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [a]gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (NKJV)

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (NASB)

In these three different translations, three different English words are used for this particular trait. I find that to be very interesting.

I learned the list of the fruit of the Spirit originally with “patience.” I am good with patience. Even though I am not always feeling patient, I have no qualms agreeing that one (anyone, let alone a Christ-follower) SHOULD be patient.

I even like to pat myself on the back when I take special pains to be patient. Good job, me! I let someone with a few items go in front of me. Jesus, look at your girl! I didn’t even give that lady a dirty look for cutting to the front of the line I’d been waiting in for 30 minutes to check baggage at the airport. I’m practically a saint today! I just spent an hour with my grandmother, helping her restart her computer and get to her email. Of course I can do a later delivery date for a $2 digital credit, Amazon. Don’t you know how patient I am? That deal was made for me. I’m practically a picture of patience.

Do you have these moments? The ones where you feel a small irritation, can practice patience, and walk away feeling like an awesome Christian? As great and confirming as those moments are, they aren’t really the kind of patience Paul is talking about in Galatians 5.

While these cut-in-line moments might qualify as “patience,” I don’t know we can call them litmus tests of long-suffering and forbearance.

Let me be honest: Long-suffering sounds terrible. I can practice patience in isolated events, but long-suffering? I mean, hello! It is literally SUFFERING for a LONG TIME. If you come up to me and have a conversation, I can be patient and listen. I can do that. For a time. But if you were to ask if I wanted to suffer indefinitely? Uh, no thanks.

You see, this fruit of the Spirit doesn’t have as much to do with waiting out a traffic jam without road rage as it does with continually bearing the insults, mistreatment, ignorance, or injustice of your circumstances or others toward you.

Paul also writes of patience in 1 Timothy 1:15-16: “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life” (NIV).

The fruit of patience/forbearance/long-suffering is evident in Jesus! Jesus was long-suffering as he dealt with the ignorance and sinful nature of his followers. He showed forbearance in his journey to the cross, knowing it was coming, and choosing to patiently endure incomparable pain to the point of death. That wasn’t the end of his patience. He still demonstrates it every single day by loving and accepting me.

How many times have I neglected and forgotten him due to the busyness of life or my own apathy?

How many times have I acted in anger?

How many times have I chosen my own, selfish way over his?

How many times have I shown pride, envy, and everything that isn’t a fruit of the Spirit?

How many times have I failed to show real patience, long-suffering, or forbearance to the people closest to me?

Friends, the answer to all of these is the same: Too many to count.

Still, Jesus has never once given up on me. Not. One. Time. He has never thrown in the towel and declared me a lost cause, though I’ve certainly given him reason to.

No. He is unfailingly patient with me. With us all.

My long-suffering goes out the window after a day of no one else picking up around the house. Where is my forbearance when my son does the thing I just told him not to do? How can I claim patience when I’m making a mental to-do list instead of listening to my chatty neighbor?

My point is that on our good days, even our okay ones, we can handle a moment of patience, as long as it doesn’t impede our lives too much.

But the Holy Spirit wants us to have the patience of Jesus - to be able to do whatever He is asking us to do without throwing a temper tantrum. Almost always, God’s plans for us involve people, and people are hard. Goodness knows I am.

I think I won’t be so quick to check this fruit of the Spirit off. Instead, I’m going to pray that the Spirit helps my petty patience ripen into the long-suffering/forbearance I know I need.

I have faith God can make that transformation in me, and He can help me in the meantime as I wait as patiently as I can.