Patience is one of the most important things in the Christian life

Paul says here that he asks that we be strengthened with all power according to the power of His Glory and it is interesting that one would expect that the power for which Paul prays would lead rather to health, to financial abundance, to triumph in all the problems that we may have and a prosperous life and great abundance.

But Paul says that the power he asks for is: "For all patience and long-suffering." It is interesting that in this case he focuses as one of the results of that power rather patience and long-suffering. That is why I believe that when he says that: "it conforms to the power of His Glory" Paul what he is saying is that, we Christians use power not necessarily only for personal purposes of personal gain but that we also have to use it for the benevolent and powerful way God uses it.

The power of the Christian is not only for personal things but is also to demonstrate the virtues and qualities of Jesus Christ, the fruit of the Holy Spirit. And one of the things that we most need power for is to reflect back that character of Jesus Christ and one of the most important qualities of the character of Jesus Christ is what Paul talks about and describes as patience and long-suffering.

They are words, especially the word long-suffering is a rare word. But we have to ask the Lord to help us cultivate that quality in our character and in our personality. Patience first, patience is important. An impatient, hurried, eager, impulsive believer can never bear fruit as God wants. We have to ask the Lord to help us cultivate that quality of being patient.

Patients with whom? evidently first of all patient with others. A marriage does not prosper if we are not patient with our spouses, a family does not progress well if there is no patience of the parents towards the children and also of the children towards the parents. A Church does not function well if the parishioners do not have patience with each other, if the pastors do not have patience with the parishioners. Patience is that quality of instead of immediately exploding when a defect is manifested or a mistake is made in the human relationship, instead of immediately seeking retribution or revenge or exploding in resentment, or accusative words, instead simply enduring the offense and allows time for correction.

Patience is when you know that people need time to develop those qualities of the Holy Spirit and you then as they develop that forgive, endure and instead of attacking you simply wait for the right moment. How important it is, for example, that parents have patience with their children, that parents know that the formation of a man, a woman who has qualities of maturity is something that takes time and then we give our children space and time At the same time that we instruct and discipline them but that we know that the formation of their character is something that is going to take a long time and that we have to give them space in the meantime, right?

So patience is important in the Christian life and we need the power of God for that quality to become real in us. The Gospel also says that when trials come into our lives we consider them as something good because the trial produces patience. Many times God will use the circumstances of life, the sufferings of life, the inconveniences of life to form in us the quality, the character that manifests patience because patience is one of the most important things in the Christian life and God He is going to do everything possible, including going through a training process to engender that quality of patience in us.

Definitely a direct intervention of the power of God in us is needed but circumstances are also needed that lead us to patience and a conscious decision on our part is also needed, that I am going to give value to that quality of patience and I will To cultivate in me, I will pray that the Lord generates it in me and I will do everything possible so that this patient attitude becomes a reality in my life.

In the next meditation we will continue talking a little more about these qualities of patience and long-suffering for which we need the power of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus Christ in us. God bless us and until our next meditation.