Michael Kelley's Blog, page 249

Patience is Rooted in Faith

"Have patience, have patience, don't be in such a hurry…"

I sang that song when I was a kid. It extols patience as a virtue that we should pursue. It is, after all, one of the fruits of the Spirit – and who couldn't do with a little bit more of any of those? But patience is easier exhorted than practiced; easier extolled than embodied. Especially right now.

We live in a Twitter world. Instantaneous information. Quick gratification. Faster food. Microwave relationships. Multi-tasking tasking. Patience is bucking the entire culture around us.

I suppose that we might just decide to be patient; to will ourselves past our frustration. But I think we all know that won't last. You decide to be patient, and you know what? It doesn't happen fast enough. So you find yourself frustrated at how long it's taking you to be patient.

But patience, like any of these other fruits of the Spirit, is rooted in faith. Think of it this way – what does a person of true patience communicate to those around them about what they believe?

- They communicate a belief in a sovereign God who is readily involved in even the most mundane areas of life.

- They communicate a trust that this God is orchestrating events for their good, even when those events seem haphazard and chaotic.

- They communicate an appropriate view of themselves, that their agenda and schedule is actually not the most important thing in the universe.

- They communicate an openness to divine interruption, believing that they might join God in some unexpected way for some unexpected work on behalf of the gospel.

- And finally, they communicate that they believe in the enduring patience of God, who instead of being frustrated with us, continues to love us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies.

For me today, the exhortation is not just "be patient." It's "believe."

Our Story

I LOVE THIS.

Ever heard the names of Polycarp, Luther, and Billy Sunday mentioned together in poetry slam? If not, get ready…

(HT: Z)

My Favorite Prayer My Wife Prays for our Kids

My wife keeps a set of notecards above the sink in our kitchen. Each one contains a particular characteristic that she prays the Lord would build into our kids. Each morning, she flips to another card and then recycles through them. It makes me smile to think that several decades from now those same cards might be on our windowsill somewhere, worn and yellow with age, and yet still being flipped.

But my favorite thing she prays for our children is something that's not necessarily written on one of these cards. It's also something that our kids, particularly the 7-year-old, is not excited to know that Mommy prays for him. Jana diligently beseeches the Lord that our kids will get caught.

She prays that no sin will be able to be hidden and that there will be no secrets with our kids. And she trusts the Lord that He's going to answer her prayer and expose them. And you know what?

It's working.

There was that time Joshua tried to sneak a toy out of the house to school that he'd been told not to take.

Why did Mommy have to open my backpack that day?

Then there was the time when Andi was spitting out her vegetables in her napkin and then throwing it away.

Why did Mommy have to look straight into the trash that night?

This is a good thing to pray because, by God's grace, it is building a few things into our kids. They are coming to understand how long and wide is the vision of the Lord. That there really is nothing hidden before Him to whom we must give an account. And they're learning that there's no such thing as a consequence-less act. Their choices matter, even when they don't seem like it.

Kind of makes you think that getting caught is actually a good thing.

But I hope they are learning that it's always better to live in light rather than darkness. So keep praying, Jana. By God's grace, our kids will continue to get busted.