#peace

The Gift of Long-Suffering

~ authorlasharnda ~ Leave a comment

Life is not always easy. In fact, it rarely is. It’s a beautiful, complicated tapestry woven with threads of joy and pain, celebration and sorrow, triumph and setback. And yet, as I sit with all of it-the good and the hard-I’m reminded of a word that often gets overlooked: Long-suffering.

The Bible speaks of long-suffering not as weakness, but as strength. In Galatians 5:22, it is listed among the Fruits of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith…” (KJV). Other translations use patience, but I’ve come to love the word long-suffering-because it tells the truth. It acknowledges that sometimes we suffer, and sometimes we suffer long. But through the Spirit, we do so with grace.

I recently heard someone say, “If you truly appreciate life, you have to appreciate all of it.” That means not just the mountaintop moments, but also the valleys-the disappointments, the losses, the betrayals. And when I look back, I see it clearly: I’ve been so deeply blessed. I’ve lived a life that far exceeded anything I dreamed of as a child. But that same life has brought me sickness, death, heartbreak, and setbacks I never saw coming. Still, I wouldn’t trade it.

Long-suffering has taught me how to be still when everything inside me wants to fight or flee. It’s taught me how to love people who are hard to love, and how to trust God when I don’t understand His ways. It’s stretched my faith, deepened my compassion, and reminded me that even in the pain, God is present.

Romans 5:3-4 says it best: “We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope.” Long-suffering doesn’t just help us survive-it makes room for hope to take root.

So if you’re in a hard season right now, take heart. The suffering isn’t the whole story. It’s a chapter-yes, even a long one-but not the end. And through it all, you are being shaped, strengthened, and prepared for even greater joy.

That is the gift of long-suffering.

Overcome your Obstacles

~ authorlasharnda ~ 1 Comment

It’s Resurrection Month!

happy resurrection dayDuring the entire month I have experienced one stressor after the other. In fact, I think sometimes we forget just how challenging life can be.

On Monday, I attended an early morning meeting. On Friday, I was told that someone said I was dismissive of an administrative assistant at that Monday morning meeting. On Tuesday I was busy re-doing a plan that I had worked on almost the entire month of March. During working meet the deadline of getting the plane done, I had to get up, get in my car, drive to another building with 3-inch heels on trying to get from the parking lot to the elevator and up to another luncheon meeting.  On Wednesday my entire morning process was blown because I had to rearrange my morning to be at another meeting that lasted 4 hours. By the time I got to Thursday, things were turning around for the better and Friday would have been great had I not heard about my dismissive behavior to an Admin on Monday! I haven’t told you everything that happened last week either.

I share a glimpse of my week at the office, but I said nothing about home.  Because I was dealing with the news of illnesses on three different fronts, out-of-state and out-of-the-country.  Oh, did I mention I picked up either a cold or allergies? I was coughing profusely, with stuffy nose and headaches too. This week on for an entire week, the week before.  Oh, but this week my husband picked up the same systems. In the midst of chaos and stress, you have to stay positive and encouraging to others, especially when they share good news.  How in the world can anyone manage the ups and downs of life without faith is a question I always ask. Not only can life be challenging, it can be overwhelming!  What do you do when it seems as if everything is closing in on you? How do you handle a spouse’s blowup or a child’s misbehavior or a boss who has lost confidence in your ability to do your job? How do you handle what life throws at you?

I don’t think you have to have all the answers, you just have to know who the source of your answers is. Who do you turn to when life seems out of control? Many times we want to find a confidante to tell all our problems to.  There is certainly nothing wrong with sharing with a “trusted” friend, but even doing that can cause problems when they decide not to be your “trusted” friend anymore.

There is someone that you can trust fully and He will stick with you through thick and thin. He will never leave you and He is an expert on any topic.  The Word of God says in John 14:14, “If you ask ME anything in My name, I will do it.” So, during this past week, I had to go back to Jesus multiple times and ask for His help to get through personality changes, coldness, suspicions, and fear.  I had to “press-in” during prayer each morning and I had to wait.  During my time of waiting, I had to remind myself that He will hear me, but what was most important was I had to believe that He was going to do something. It didn’t happen right away, but what I prayed for eventually came. So I say to you, whatever is going on in your life; whatever stressors you are facing, pray, let go, and let God handle it through Christ. Remember John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

Happy Resurrection Day!