In the morning on April 13, God was speaking to me about how through His mighty power I can be empowered for "all endurance and patience with joy" (Col 1:11). This I find significant given that in our society patience and joy are not two things that you find in the same sentence or in the ordinary description of our human experience.
Often patience is something you have to endure or put up with. But to accompany it with joy is a whole different reality. Likewise, when you find joy in a person, it is frequently associated with some realization or an expectation that has been fulfilled, not something you are still waiting for. The joy you may experience while enjoying that fabulous meal is not the same as the joy of waiting while the meal is being prepared while you starve. Paul assures us that through God's mighty power two things are possible: "all endurance and patience with joy".
How are we doing in terms of enduring in all things?
How are we doing in experiencing joy while waiting patiently for something that seems so remote, distant or impossible?
These questions can bridge our current reality with the promise the Apostle Paul reminds us of here. The mighty power of God will make possible for us to endure all things and to wait patiently with some measure of joy. This promise is reinforced in the immediate context by pointing out that endurance and patience with joy are fertilized by our thanksgiving. Paul also adds that our heavenly Father has qualified us to inherit what belongs only to His saints. He has made possible for us to live differently because He has transferred us from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of his beloved Son Jesus. The point is that if God has already accomplished through Jesus the hardest part --our redemption-- how much more would He be committed to suppling what we need to live in a manner that is worthy of the Lord? (verse 10): fully pleasing Him, bearing fruit and increasing in our knowledge of God. Let us not underestimate the fact that enduring in all things and waiting patiently with joy are fruits that bring honor to our Father.
- May God help us believe His promises.
- May He supply what we need to endure in all things and experience a measure of joy while we wait patiently for His redemptive purposes.
- May we be more and more willing to surrender our own definitions of life and the ways we employ to secure such forms of life.
Diego Cuartas