Patience and Acceptance
Scripture:
Romans 8:25
But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Matthew 27:14
But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.
Reflection:
Today I choose to feast on patience and acceptance.
Anger often produces immediate results, but those results are likely not the ones we’d hoped for nor are they the most helpful. As challenging as it can be, patience produces results that are most needed and often worth the wait.
Patience requires acceptance and faith. To be patient, we have to accept that we cannot change the current circumstances and trust that God is still working even when we can’t see it. When Jesus faces many false accusations, he does not lash out in anger but remains silent. In this pain-staking silence, Jesus accepts the situation and patiently awaits God’s unfolding plan even as it leads him through torture and death.
Questions for Personal Reflection:
What stands out to me from my reflections this week? What might God still want to teach me?
How can I incorporate practices of patience and acceptance into my life today? How I continue these practices throughout my life?
Prayer:
Share with God any lingering thoughts, questions or feelings from this week. Thank God for the gifts of patience and acceptance that provide a path forward from anger. Ask God to help you practice patience and acceptance in ways that are life-giving.
These devotions have been adapted from “Lenten Healing: 40 Days to Set You Free from Sin” by Ken Kniepmann.
