Attributes of God: Long-Suffering & Patience
Guest Post: Kri Chiarillo lives in sunny Florida and is passionate about using her writing as a positive influence on others.
Long-Suffering & Patience / Author: Kri Chiarillo
We live in a time where we are encouraged to turn our back on friends and family that hurt us. On the surface, this seems like sound advice, especially if it is repeated and long-term abuse. Our Father in heaven does not want us to suffer through abuse and pain. Does this mean we should completely turn our backs on those who are mean, spiteful and act in other hateful ways?
Jesus makes an excellent point about those who have hurt others when it comes to adultery. Jesus has a woman brought before Him who was caught in the act of adultery. While there are many other questions one could ask regarding this scenario -such as “where is the man who committed adultery with her?”-we will leave for another day.
Instead, I want to focus on His simple command, “He who has not sinned, cast the first stone.” in John chapter eight, verse seven. If you read this account for yourself, you will see all the woman’s accusers have left. Not because she was innocent but because they were just as much sinners as she was.
We are all sinners. I want you to remember this the next time you cut out a friend or family member for being “toxic.” I am not telling you to allow yourself to be abused. I am asking you to try and look at them from God’s perspective. He looks to the very core of them, and he looks just as deeply at you. He knows the history and circumstances that led each and every person to where they are today. And I am going to tell you something you must understand fully. Nothing happens in a bubble.
Your mother did not wake-up one day and decide, “I am going to treat my child as if they are worthless.” Without getting into the psychology of it all, which you can do your own research on, this statement should be an obvious truth to you. Argue all you like; no one became a monster or difficult person without some other influence involved. Our Father in Heaven knows this, and He sympathizes with each and every person who has ever suffered at the hands of another. He also knows such suffering has a high chance of turning them into the very thing they hate. He also knows this is not strictly fair, at least from our limited point of view.
Our God in heaven is a Just God. I know this can be difficult to understand amid suffering, loneliness, and any other tragic circumstances we find ourselves in, but He is Just. You can find comfort in knowing that one day our Father in heaven will provide justice and comfort. Many turn to the Psalms for their comfort, and I encourage you to do the same. You can also find comfort when you study Revelations because it shows the end of such suffering and evil. With that said, Revelations is the culmination of prophecy covered throughout the Old Testament, so be sure to have a decent understanding of those before you jump into revelation to learn about the coming Kingdom where “every tear is wiped”(Rev 21, verse 4).
So, what does any of the above have to do with our title, “Attributes of God: Long-Suffering Patience”? Well, dealing with difficult people does take patience, and in the case of a family member or close friend, this can result in quite a bit of suffering. Many want to step away from this suffering, but again I want to ask you the same thing Jesus was really asking those men who wanted to stone the adultress in the book of John to death. What do I mean by saying this? I believe that when Jesus gives the order, “He who has not sinned cast the first stone,” He was, in essence, asking, “Are you better than this woman
Are you better than the person you are turning your back on completely? Would you want to have Yehova and our Father in Heaven turn their back on you? If you are reading this, then it is my hope you are seeking God and working to try and be more and more like Jesus.
Jesus is a perfect reflection of His Father in heaven. And thus, He, because He is just like the father, is long-suffering in His patience towards us despite our many acts of defiance and disobedience of His laws, precepts, and commandments. Each of these were put into place for our protection and betterment.
Because of His long-suffering patience with all of us, I beseech you to ponder and pray over the following verses from the book of Ephesians so that you, too, can apply this attribute of God to your own life when it comes to other people in your life:
Eph 4:30 — And do not vex the Holy Spirit of God by which you have been sealed for the day of redemption. (FV)
Eph 4:31 — Let all bitterness, and indignation, and wrath, and clamor, and evil speaking be removed from you, together with all malice; (FV)
Eph 4:32 — And be kind and tenderhearted toward one another, forgiving one another, even as God has also in Christ forgiven you. (FV)
Until next time,
Your friend Kurious Kri