"Convenience never produces character." Beth Moore
I'll let you know right from the start that most of today's blog comes from an excellent study by Beth Moore called Living Beyond Yourself. It's a study of the fruit of the Spirit and I've been going through the stuff on patience. Now, patience has never been my strong suit. I am stubborn and usually impatient, but when one asks God to give them patience, He usually gives them the opportunity to be patient, right? It's probably fair to say that we all have lots of situations and people that can drive us crazy, aggravate and really annoy us. They might even be in our homes...
There is a bit of a snag here that I just want to throw out there and chew on a bit. Beth Moore makes the comment that God will intentionally provoke situations that bring out the worst in us. Now why in the world would He do that? He brings it out, so we will let Him take it out.
When first heard this I was a little taken aback - How could really aggravating people be part of God's will for me? They make me so frustrated and impatient! But, as I ponder it, I think I agree. How can I let God remove something ugly from my heart (like impatience, pride, etc) if I refuse to acknowledge it's even there? So, it's a good thing that these people "bring out the worst in me, keep me from thinking too highly of myself, and keep my pretenses from working!" (Beth Moore) Yeah, that's a good thing!
So, the next time you are frustrated with someone, and having a hard time showing them patience, just remember they could be one of the best things to happen to you!
2 comments:
This actually reminds me of the writings of a fictional warrior poet on the television show "Firefly".
Shan Yu wrote "Live with a man 40 years. Share his house, his meals. Speak on every subject. Then tie him up, and hold him over the volcano's edge. And on that day, you will finally meet the man."
This actually applies to your subject, metaphorically of course. If we are never tested, will we ever realize our potential, and who we are at our core? If we never face adversity, we can't grow. I'd rather be tested by an annoying person in conversation first before facing some of the things life can throw at you!
Jay
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I'm in total agreement. We learn through succeeding or failing at temptation. That's a great post Julie! Keep it up!
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