Abbey Advent: Longsuffering (Introduction)

Longsuffering - Chrystal Armstrong

If the fruit of the Spirit were ranked in order of desirability, longsuffering would be the last on the list every time.  

Joy and love are amazing.  Peace and faith are awesome.  Kindness and faithfulness are admirable. 

But longsuffering, suffering at length, is NOT typically something we want to give or receive.  We run from it. We cry, and we hide. We try to pray it away. We get angry, and then we get bitter.  

How much better could our lives be if we were to recognize that longsuffering is BEAUTIFUL?  If it was allowed to abound in our lives as we were rooted and found our rest in the presence and power of God?  

Like the other fruit of the Spirit, longsuffering is an outgrowth of our surrender.  It doesn’t feel good to relinquish our feelings, injustices, and opinions, but the ability to suffer long, and suffer well, is absolutely necessary.

Longsuffering is part of God’s divine nature, and we can only experience the fullness of His faithfulness and love when we find Him in our frustrations and trust Him in our trials.

Longsuffering is being patient in affliction, and plenteous in mercy.

Longsuffering is accepting hardship, offense, or accusation, without responding with complaint or retaliation.

Longsuffering is the ability to endure whatever may come our way, optimistically accepting God’s will, no matter what it is.
At Christmas, we celebrate the triumph of Advent, the joyful arrival of the long-awaited Savior.  This week, we will explore longsuffering in vignettes throughout the Nativity story. In these examples, we gain a deeper understanding of the human condition and the strength we find in the Spirit to surmount the greatest obstacles, overcome the odds, and keep growing more like Christ, even in the moments we feel like giving up.