Be Patient... Beloved

"I ask for the desire to pray and meditate on behalf of my community of faith.  May we  receive patience, humility, gentleness, empathy, compassion, awareness, wisdom, and tolerance.  May we abstain from anger, anxiety, compulsive behaviour, shame, discouragement, and self-righteousness.  May we know Christ as Christ knows us and follow Christ more closely.  In our words, thoughts and actions, may we seek justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God."


James 5:7-10


7 Be patient, therefore, beloved,^* until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. ⁸You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.^{* 9}Beloved,^* do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! ¹⁰As an example of suffering and patience, beloved,^* take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.


1) "Be patient;" "...the precious crop;" "...being patient;" "...be patient;" "...the coming of the Lord is near;" "...strengthen your hearts;" "...do not grumble against one another;" "...as an example;" "


2) I can hear the grumbling.  I hear people grumbling about other people.  I participate.  I'm aware, sometimes over aware, of people grumbling against me.  And I know how demoralizing it is to fear that others might be grumbling against me.  How unappreciated I can feel.  I can't imagine that it is any less demoralizing for others to know/fear that others are grumbling against them.  It is unhelpful at best, it is undermining and destructive at worse.  I don't want to tear down what doesn't need to be torn down.  I want to build up.  It is so easy to say, "be patient," harder to live patience in the moment of frustration and discouragement.  So how do we be gentle with one another both abstaining from grumbling, but when we do hear grumbling to be gentle, not acquiescent, but still kind when pointing out the demoralizing grumbling, that we might keep hope and still give reason for moving forward in relationship together.  We have so much to learn and learning is slow and hard for all of us.  If only we could remember that we are all learning, making mistakes, going back to old ways, then gently returning to the new learning.  How do we live in our appreciation of one another instead of grumbling?


3) What is the invitation in all this?  To sit with patience, the concept if not the reality.  To give God the opportunity, in silence to teach me something about nurturing a patient heart, and risk failing again, and being patient with my lack of patience.


"Holy One, strengthen our hearts.  Teach us humility and patience and guard us again grumbling against one another, and one another's grumbling."


Breathprayer: "Be patient... beloved.