Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Patience!!

My wife's favorite verse: "reprimand the unruly, encourage the timid, help the weak, and be very patient with all men." (I Thessalonian 5:14)(Phllips)

My favorite verse: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22f)(KJV) (Consulting the Phillips I found instead of longsuffering, patience.)

I'm sure you've noticed, as I did, that what the two verses have in common is patience. It came to me that patience is definitely my short suit, besetting sin as we Christians say.

How did I get that way? Ellie said to me the other day, "Larry, you're clever; you don't have to be pleasant." I guess that's my excuse, and Friends, I have decided, with her and your encouragement, that like Elwood P. Dowd, I shall try pleasant.

Friends, hold me in the light for patience, and observe your own.

5 comments:

Mark Walter said...

Patience... good point. One of my favorite personal mottos is "slow and steady wins the race."

Larry Clayton said...

Thank you, Mark. It's always a downer when there are no comments, and you have rescued me from that feeling. Thanks again.

BTW another favorite motto comes from AA: Easy does it.

Darrell Grizzle said...

In the English Standard Version (a new translation by some conservative scholars, but one I believe to be faithful to the original texts), your favorite verse is translated with the word "patience" also:

22 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.

Interesting that the ESV replaces gentleness with kindness, then meekness with gentleness!

Anonymous said...

I am so very glad you quoted one of my fav philosophers -- Elwood P. Dowd. He graced the footer of my blog for some time until HWS took his place.

Patience. I think patience is easier when a person isn't feeling threatened by life. Our apst and our presernt circumstances seem to bear on that.

Larry Clayton said...

Friends and brothers, I really appreciate your comments. Now I know that at least three people have heard my rambling, quavering voice.