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God has many beautiful attributes. He is joy and peace. He is holy and righteous. He is our comforter and our hope. The Bible describes Him as Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, and the Prince of Peace. As strong and mighty. A healer, a way maker, good, powerful, and compassionate. The list goes on and on. 

One of His most precious attributes to me is His longsuffering or in other words, extreme patience. In 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9, the Bible says that God is longsuffering toward us because He is not willing that any should perish, but that we should all have everlasting life. 

Although I appreciate His extreme patience with me, I tend not to be so patient with others or with God. It's an attribute I desire to master yet at the same time, I somewhat dread the journey. I believe God is graciously helping me, even as I sometimes reluctantly endure the process. Longsuffering by definition means enduring injury, trouble, or provocation, long and patiently. I don’t believe you can master longsuffering without enduring some uncomfortable things in your life. When I think about it like that, it sounds like a difficult and perhaps even a begrudging task. Yet I look to Christ, who lovingly endured trouble, mocking provocation, and ultimately severe injury on the cross for us. He chose to forgive while the nails were piercing His hands and feet. He willingly hung on that cross while people laughed at His pain and agony; He made sure the price for what they had done to him would not be placed on their shoulders but on His. 

Today, His longsuffering is still a testament to His lovingkindness and mercy. It’s an attribute He expects us to have as well. It is a beautifully mastered gift for us. A gift because when we practice longsuffering we begin to have trust and peace and an unexplainable contentment in our lives. It’s no wonder that longsuffering is one of the fruits of the spirit. When God fills us with His Spirit we can and will, take on His attributes, that is if we allow it to begin to flow in our lives. It leaves me in awe as I discover the many ways God blesses us through the processes He takes us through. 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve needed God’s longsuffering and mercy in my life. The more I read His Word and learn about Him, the more I see that He never expects anything from us that doesn’t benefit us. I’m learning and practicing longsuffering in everything that happens in my life. No matter what things look like from the outside looking in, I know it’s the beauty in the outcome that truly matters. Everything else is just the process, and I know the blessings are yet to come. 

 

Isaiah 9:6

2 Peter 3:9

Luke 23:34 

Galatians 5:22-23

Deuteronomy 12:28, Luke 11:28