Longsuffering. Just the thought of suffering a long time makes me wince. The good ol' Merriam-Webster defines "suffering" as "pain that is caused by injury, illness, loss, etc. : physical, mental, or emotional pain". Who in their right mind would want take on those kind of things for long time? Lol
But, the Greek Lexicon defines "longsuffering" as "patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance, forbearance, longsuffering, slowness in avenging wrongs". So though it may be a lengthy post, I'm going to talk a little bit about some of these synonyms.
Patience. I have heard it said before "Don't pray for patience". It is said that if you do, God will send things your way to try it. But, my thoughts on the subject is that we are suppose to strive to be longsuffering or patient. And, to be patient is "to bear pains or trials calmly or without complaint". Now, THAT is the difficult part sometimes...calmly and without complaining. Philippians 2:14-15, "Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world." The New Living Translation says, "In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them." This is how I have explained complaining to my kids throughout the years: Complaining is like the "galloping grumps". It starts out with one person, but it quickly can "gallop" from one person to the next until you have a whole group of people complaining. Every where we go we not only represent God, but we represent our local church. We must represent HIM and HIS church in such a manner that it wants others to come and experience what we have working in our lives.
Endurance. This is the ability to withstand hardship or adversity. Ephesians 6:13, "Therefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." The New Living Translation says, "Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm." This, in itself, is another whole study....the Armor of God. Like a mentioned in a previous post, I pray on each "piece" every morning. Each piece of the Armor of God has a specific purpose, just as the soldier's armor did in Biblical times. But, you cannot go into a "battle" without being properly equipped. To endure trials, we must be "suited up" with the Armor of God.
Constancy and Steadfastness. Constancy is steadfastness of mind: Fortitude (mental strength and courage that allows someone to face danger, pain, etc). To be steadfast is to be firmly fixed in place. I think a good scripture for this would be, 1 Corinthians 15:58, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."
Perseverance. This is define as "steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement." Longsuffering is about moving forward in spite of how bleak our circumstances look. And, we cannot do this by our own might or power. We have to have the Holy Ghost in us and we keep moving forward by HIS might and power working in us. We have to trust that God is in complete control and trust that through the Holy Ghost He will lead us in the right direction.
Forbearance. Forbearance is "forbearing conduct or quality; patient endurance; self-control." In our human frailty, it is easy for us to some times react to a situation before thinking or praying about it. Forbearance allows us to practice self-control and learn how to endure things calmly and without complaining. It is about keeping ourselves is check when it comes to our actions and words when we are faced with frustrating or discouraging times.
I know that a lot of the definitions of these synonyms are similar, but looking into each one can give us a better understanding of what God expects out of us from day to day. But, keep in mind that we are still human. We are going to still make mistakes and slip up. But, the difference is...what are you going to do about it? We are all a work in progress. So every day we keep moving forward and striving to be what He has called us to be and be fruitful.
Perseverance. This is define as "steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement." Longsuffering is about moving forward in spite of how bleak our circumstances look. And, we cannot do this by our own might or power. We have to have the Holy Ghost in us and we keep moving forward by HIS might and power working in us. We have to trust that God is in complete control and trust that through the Holy Ghost He will lead us in the right direction.
Forbearance. Forbearance is "forbearing conduct or quality; patient endurance; self-control." In our human frailty, it is easy for us to some times react to a situation before thinking or praying about it. Forbearance allows us to practice self-control and learn how to endure things calmly and without complaining. It is about keeping ourselves is check when it comes to our actions and words when we are faced with frustrating or discouraging times.
I know that a lot of the definitions of these synonyms are similar, but looking into each one can give us a better understanding of what God expects out of us from day to day. But, keep in mind that we are still human. We are going to still make mistakes and slip up. But, the difference is...what are you going to do about it? We are all a work in progress. So every day we keep moving forward and striving to be what He has called us to be and be fruitful.
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