PATIENCE is a VIRTUE... so will somebody please give me a little?

Raising our children IN THE LORD is a H..U..G..E responsibility! I know I feel the pressure! My children's lives, in a way, even their souls, are dependent on the first years of instruction happening at home.

So let's jump right in to a "biggie" and talk about PATIENCE.

Kids will be kids! And it is so easy to resort to yelling and shouting to get them to LISTEN! (Or so it seems that this approach gets them to listen.*) And I am the one always telling the kids, "Patience takes Practice!" Guess what?! The first one they learn that from is ME, so I have to constantly stay on my toes and check what kind of example I am to them. One of my favorite Bible scriptures is the "LOVE PASSAGE" found in 1st Corinthians 13. Let's read part of it together.

"LOVE IS PATIENT, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, IT IS NOT EASILY ANGERED, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. IT ALWAYS PROTECTS, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. LOVE NEVER FAILS." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a NIV (emphasis added)

The root of patience is LOVE! Love is patient... it is not easily angered. If we want to practice being patient, we have to start with love. I love my kids, faults and all. And thankfully, God loves me with my faults, too! And God is so patient with me as I stumble through life, making mistakes, LEARNING from my mistakes, and trying again, always striving to be better. I want to apply that same love to my children. When they make a mistake, (and they will make many!) or try to test the rules, I will first have to take a breath and look at them with LOVE. Love is patient. So my love must produce patience.

Patience takes practice, and I need to practice what I preach! =)


*More posts to follow on HOW TO PRACTICE PATIENCE, and why shouting does not really work!

Thanks for reading... Comments are always welcome!

~Robin~