"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,"

                            -I Corinthians 13:4

What does it mean to be longsuffering? Well, as Paul explains in this passage, it simply means to suffer long - or, in modern terms, to patiently endure wrong doing. Now I know that may sound easy, but it is in fact very difficult for many of us, and that is why I believe we need to give this particular fruit of the Spirit special attention and meditate upon its meaning very carefully.

I find it interesting that God tells us to love because He first loved us (I John 4:19), to be joyful because He has rejoiced over us (Zephaniah 3:17), and to have peace because He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Likewise, He has given us the command to be longsuffering because He Himself is longsuffering toward us (Psalm 86:15). If we truly appreciate the fact that the Lord is patient with us, then we will be eager to be patient with others.

If we are all honest with God and with ourselves, then I think we will admit that we have each made our fair share of mistakes. I know that there have been many instances in which I have hurt the feelings of those close to me, and I am always grateful for their patience and longsuffering during those times. Because we appreciate it when others are longsuffering with us, we ought also to be longsuffering with others (Matthew 7:12).

No doubt we could each stand to bear this fruit of the Spirit more abundantly in our lives. Let's take this opportunity to come humbly before the Lord and ask Him to help us to be more like Him in this area.

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward..."

                            -II Peter 3:9