Dear Reader,

Have you ever felt like something should have been done yesterday even though you were just barely given the task? I have. I have also felt that because this task hadn’t been done yesterday, it is already too late. Things like these are what we consider to be too slow as Peter write in 2 Peter 3:9:

There’s an urgency in our world, especially America, that demands we constantly go faster with more. But God lovingly understands the time needed to complete any task or bring about any change and He provides that space because He is so patient.

God is Patient

Who is God? How is He patient?

The Greek word used for patience in the list of the fruits of the Spirit is “makrothumia.” This word is a compound of the words for “long” and “passion/anger” implying waiting long before expressing anger.

God is angry. Angry at sin, death, and the brokenness of the world. In some ways this anger is more noticeable in the Old Testament. But these things also break God’s heart and makes Him sad, as Timothy Keller pointed out in a sermon that Jesus wept for Lazarus despite knowing He was about to raise him from the dead because death wasn’t part of the original plan, and it broke His heart. Yet the fullness of His anger we haven’t even caught a glimpse of because He is waiting long, so long before expressing it.

When and/or where do I see evidence of this characteristic in my life?

Throughout the whole course of my life.

I was about 11 when I accepted Jesus into my heart, but it wasn’t until I was 29 that I truly began to understand who He is. I was 17 when I asked Him to take my burdens, but again, I was 29 when I finally began to trust Him to carry that burden. I was about 22 when I wanted to quit and kill myself, but God expressed His desire to live, but it wasn’t until the past year or 2 (I’m now 31) that I have been trying to live fully for Him.

In all these changes, God could have easily slapped me up the head with the information I needed. Instead, He waited for me, slowly guided me, and kept pointing me back in the right direction. Like the kids I watch at the daycare center I work at. I tell them where we are going, I point them off in the right direction, and they constantly look in the wrong direction and wander off course despite the constant reminders (however 13–15 month-olds aren’t known for the best listening skills).

College was also a no-go for me upon graduation from “homeschooled-highschool.” I was done with school at that point, but over the years I kept thinking, “If I went to college, I would want to learn more about this, this, this, and this.” I had a whole running list, but I had nothing specific I wanted to pursue so I kept setting it aside.

Looking back, I can see where God was still working on getting me to the place I needed to be at before I started college, because the direction I’m going as I start class isn’t the direction I would have chosen over a year ago.

How does this trait affect how God sees me?

This verse is written in the context of the day of judgment, when everything will be destroyed by fire, leading to his challenge of how should we live knowing this (2 Peter 3:11)?

God knows how each one of us lives. He sees the sins we practice whether or not we have recognized them as such yet. He also sees when we trust Him and rest in Him. But He also knows what our outcome will be if we don’t change.

However, as I copied down this verse, I noticed something. God doesn’t call us to “change by repenting” but “to come to repentance” (emphasis added). This word for come is the Greek word “chóreó” meaning “to make room” or to “hold.”

One of the reasons my ex wouldn’t or couldn’t come to faith was because he understood repentance was changing, and he didn’t want to change. He was right, in a way. The Greek word for repentance, metanoia, literally means “a change of mind.”

But this belief that we have to change before we accept Jesus leads to legalism and saving ourselves by our good works which is impossible because God says, “No one is good - except God” (Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19) and “there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:12).

I believe this “making room” means creating space in humility of the possibility of us being wrong whereas pride would stubbornly say I have every right to choose to do this.

Because of this perspective, what has God done?

The second half of Romans 1 is often used to judge anyone who claims to be anything but the gender they were born with or gay. Yet three times in this section Paul writes: “God gave them over” (vv24, 26, 28) to the desires of their hearts, passions, and depravity of their minds respectively.

We expect everyone to be ready to change and to change when they accept Jesus as their savior. I held myself to that standard. I was supposed to be perfect the moment I said yes. I think this pressure is also what keeps others from saying yes to Jesus because while they might recognize their need for a savior, they don’t understand or have that desire to change - yet.

I believe that all God requires in that first yes to Jesus is to simply acknowledge they need a savior and can’t save themselves. I’ve heard it explained that God is gracious in that He doesn’t reveal all our sins to us at once because we would be too overrun with guilt. Which is why repentance isn’t a one and done action but a process. He calls us to Himself knowing it is only the beginning of a journey He will walk with us to guide us to walk in line with Him.

How does this new understanding affect my response and how I live my life?

Following God’s lead.

One of the classes I am taking for college is Self & Society. Gender identity has been a prominent focus this week and will be for the next couple of weeks, and it has been a challenge. I struggled with these issues in my teens and early twenties in a couple of different ways, and the only way I ended up staying grounded was by prayer and knowing what God had to say about homosexual relationships in Romans 1.

I also know the hurt the church has caused to people who have fallen to the lies rooted in these issues. About a year ago, God broke my heart for this lost group of people. While part of me understands why calling them out sounds like the “right” thing to do, I’m also in the midst of coming to understand how God handles this group and all other sins and sinners: with His kindness, His patience, with love, His tolerance.

There is a balance, and I’m not good on balance beams, and have yet to learn how to balance this need to love this group of people while not celebrating their sin.

How has God patiently tolerated your sin until you were in a place to repent? And even then worked with you in the process of change?

I’m not sure when I will be back with my school schedule, but I wanted to share what I have been learning about God and His patience.

I hope you all are doing well!

With love in Christ,

Rachel

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Information about the Greek words are from Biblehub.com​

All Bible quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.