Passionate Patience

^{Romans 5:3-5
3-5}There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

For some reason, I've had the passage Romans 5 in my head all day.....  I had no idea what treasures were here and I had no idea really why God placed this chapter on my heart today.  I just read it in entirety and for some reason keep coming back to the verses above.

For a fleeting thought such as this to stay with me through my morning workout with "Moves Like Jagger" playing in background, then through 180 phone calls at work and countless emails sent throughout the day and then even after talk at dinner with a friend and heavy topics in class at church tonight, I couldn't just let Romans 5 pass me by.

In the midst of my busyness today, I've had a sense of heavy burden....sadness that I'm struggling with.  Maybe it's loneliness, maybe it's feeling overwhelmed - maybe it's just time for me to schedule some fun.  Nevertheless, I needed the verses above and had I just taken a minute to read this earlier, my day might have had a different feel to it.

What I hear God telling me, gently reminding me again....  is that He is trying to give me His best.  Even through my down days, even as I struggle.  I love the part that says even our troubles develop "passionate patience" in us.  Passionate?  God knows I could use some passion in my life!  Patience? - well, hurry up and show me what that means!  Another translation calls it perseverance - I personally like the term passionate patience - it is especially meaningful to me when I am persistently awaiting what might be next in my journey.

But what about that "tempered steel of virtue"?  Well, that my dear, is character.  Our troubles teach us perseverance which builds character.  Didn't I already have that before my world fell apart?  I guess I needed a bit more character building - and if I'm honest, I'll have to agree.  I wasn't myself before all this change took place and now I feel more free than ever to truly be me.....  and I am a character indeed!!!

But the best part of all this is the last thing the verse promises.  This character building causes us to be full of hope and in feeling full of hope, we'll never feel shortchanged!  This is the remedy to the "grass is greener" syndrome to which almost all women are susceptible.  I've heard the saying that if you think the grass is greener on the other side, then water your own lawn.  There is some truth to that but sometimes you have no idea how to go about watering your lawn (especially if you've never done yard work in your life)!  You can't water the lawn if you don't know how or are not permitted to learn.

Well I can honestly say that I'm learning a lot of new things lately - all because of the trials life has dealt me.  There are many valuable lessons going on in my life - all of them developing my passionate patience, building my character, showing me hope and most important of all - ending my grass is greener syndrome.  You truly never know what you have until its gone but you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and realize that there are always blessings in spite of whatever you're going through.  It just may take a little time before it's obvious.