The word “longsuffering” is often replaced in some Biblical translations with the word “patience” ~ and patience is indeed a virtue…and I am afraid it is not one of my best! I struggle to be a patient person, I do not “suffer long” well, and yet I am aware of the blessings which come with this fruit! James 5:7 uses the analogy of a farmer waiting for the harvest to illustrate the blessings of patience:
“Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth: patiently bearing till he receive the early and latter rain.”
…and those of us who are gardeners will know that seeds do not sprout overnight no matter how often we keep staring at the soil where we have planted them! But when they do appear ~ what joy! I remember the little jump of joy inside when my salad leaves first started sprouting, anticipating the pleasure of seeing them on my plate at tea time 
God is infinitely patient with us ~ He knows that we too need time to grow, time spent in the dark under the soil, and the heat of the Son and the water of the Spirit before we burst into bloom. He doesn’t expect us t run before we can walk, but patiently and lovingly holds our hands as we take baby steps, and picks us up and comforts us when we fall and scrape our knees.
We too, in following His example need to be patient with others around us. This is especially important with children ~ we can make the mistake of thinking that they should have learned life’s lessons when they haven’t had the learning experiences we have had as parents. Gently and lovingly picking them up when they make mistakes, and sharing that learning with them is far more productive than impatiently expecting them to always get things right! And it’s the same with everyone else too ~ we are called to patiently bear the faults of others without complaining…not allowing them to abuse us, of course…but being patient in recognising that they; like us, are a “work-in-progress”.
This world we live in does not encourage patience ~ we are instead told that we can “have it now”, or “buy now, pay later”. We live in a culture of instant gratification, where we can so easily grow up believing that our needs must be met instantly without having to wait. Fast food, microwave meals, easy loans, borrowing rather than saving. Instant messaging, texting and e-mailing have replaced snail-mail letters and taken away the joy for many of the sound of a letter hitting the mat. The faster life gets, the more impatient we become!
Sometimes too we have to be patient with circumstances. We may be stuck trying to sell our house trying to find a better job, recover from illness, complete a grieving process; many of these things cause us to suffer. It helps to remember that these things too are part of God’s plan, and that suffering and waiting have their own purpose in refining us and making us more in the image of Jesus. And in the meantime, despite our feelings of impatience, we can always offer these sufferings up and allow God to make use of them. Nothing is in vain if we surrender it to Him and submit to His will!
So today, I will open myself to the Holy Spirit and ask Him for the blessings of patience, knowing that my “longsuffering” can be a blessing, rather than a curse!
My sweet mother used to always say, jokingly, “Lord please give me patience and right now!” Yes, it is definitely a challenge and I agree with you that the world has made it even more difficult by saying we have the right to everything and right now!
Surrender and submission to God is always the answer and yet we balk at times!
blessings and peace,
marcy
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