Patience with People

People can be downright pesky, can't they? They just don't do what we expect them to do. They don't deliver. They have a different opinion. And the closer you are to them, the more they end up rubbing you the wrong way.

I was sitting in a doctor's waiting room recently. There were two receptionists – a younger one and an older one. Anyhow, the specialist came out to talk to the older one about someone's hospital booking.

And he spoke to her with such an impatient edge in his voice (even though, as it turned out, she'd done the right thing and he was just plain wrong) that I thought to myself, "Those two must be married, because there's no way he'd talk to a staff member like that!"

When you think about it, that's pretty sad. She should be the most precious person in the world to him. And yet, anyone who's married has done that. Anyone who has children has done that. We allow our impatience to break out in a harsh tone, or a scowl … or worse.

Fact: people in this world won't always meet our expectations. Fact: they won't always see things our way. Fact: they won't always dance to our tune. That's never ever going to change.

1 Thessalonians 5:14 We ask you, brothers and sisters, to warn those who will not work. Encourage those who are afraid. Help those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

How much less conflict would there be in this world, in our lives, if we simply lived out that one verse? In fact, just these four words:

Be patient with everyone.

That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.