A Prayer to Choose Patience over Losing Your Temper
by Meg Bucher
“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.” - Psalm 103:10, ESV
“MOM!”
And then the stomp… and another stomp… and then a full body stomp… which really has to be seen in action to be fully appreciated for all that it is. My second child challenges me with her quick temper. Her older sister is more prone to brood and stew when things don’t go her way, but my little lights her fuse immediately.
We all have the tendency to act without thought, to overreact, or fail to act when we should; but holding on to bitter notions takes some brooding. To brood is to dwell on a subject or to meditate with morbid persistence.
Jesus is our ticket off the crazy-train. Because of His death, the cycle of hopeless thinking is interrupted. “God’s patience must not be underestimated. Because he is patient with us, he does not treat us as we deserve” (Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary).
We should be punished for losing our temper, for our lack of faithfulness and thankfulness. We do what we hate, as the apostle Paul states, even though we know we hate it. So, what is a good God to do? He forgives. He went out of His way to forgive us before we were sorry. Before we made mistakes. Before our temper snapped and we sat brooding about it for days upon end. Before we set that grudge to hold for all of those years, Jesus set our hearts free.
The VOICE paraphrase of Psalm 103:10 says, “Thankfully, God does not punish us for our sins and depravity as we deserve. In His mercy, He tempers justice with peace.”
All of humanity, starting in the Garden of Eden, has found a way to brood and snap over circumstances we don't understand or approve of. Thankfully, God provided a perfect way for us to break that cycle.
Raising a child with a temper is a good look into the depth of God’s patience. He loves us despite ourselves, like I love her… and beyond. His patience is perfect, because it’s part of who He is.
Let's Pray
Father,
We praise You for Your patience! Thank for each day we are forgiven instead of condemned. We don’t get what we deserve, and we ask Your forgiveness for times we have taken that for granted. Bless us to recognize Your patient love in others over our stubborn heart’s criticism. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Meg writes about everyday life within the love of Christ. She stepped out of her comfort zone, and her Marketing career, to obey God’s call to stay home and be “Mom” in 2011. From that step of obedience her blog, Sunny&80, was born, a way to retain the funny everyday moments of motherhood. (https://sunnyand80.org) Meg is also a freelance writer and author of “Friends with Everyone.” She loves teaching God’s Word and leading weekly Bible study, being a mom, distance running and photography. Meg resides in Northern Ohio with her husband, two daughters, and Godlen-Doodle… all avid Cleveland Browns fans.
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