When I think of patience, I think of a fisherman. Rising before the sun. Pole ready, tackle box. A thin finger of steam rising from his black coffee as he heads to the dock.

He is alone in the morning cool. The lake exhaling fog sleepily, the loons, a denim sky. He casts out and reels, casts and reels. He rushes nothing. He waits in quiet hope.

There is a fisherman’s love that is always casting itself out, always pursuing, waiting. It does not demand perfection. It does expect quick results.

Patience is active, a non-apathetic contentment. A being still on purpose.

It is an acceptance of where we are right now, while still acknowledging where we want to be. It is a willingness to wait on a heart to change, though change can be slower than seasons.

Patient loving comes from knowing I am the child.
Watch a child cry for cold food while her mother warms the bottle, and know the great patience of our God. He is not quick to anger, but full of mercy.

Patient loving comes from believing there will be victory.
See Christ’s life, 30 years of being misunderstood by his family and friends, wrongly accused by his enemies. All to die. See his patience for them, his endurance in death. See His victory.

Patient loving changes people.
It changed me when I received it, it changes others when we give it.

Background: Musing on 1 Corinthians 13
A small group of us are going through 1 Corinthians and have finally come to the famous ‘love chapter,’ chapter 13. Probably one of the most famously quoted passages from the bible and certainly the most quoted at weddings, it can be easy to approach with a “been there, done that” attitude. But have we really done it? As I read through the chapter a week or so ago, I was struck by the reality that I know very little about love because I seldom participate in displaying it’s qualities. I decided to meditate on each quality of love listed in Corinthians 13 and write about my musings (more to keep me accountable than anything). Hope you join with your own thoughts and musings.