Scripture: Proverbs 16:32
Better to be patient than a warrior, and better to have self-control than to capture a city.
Thought for the Day: The Proverb is suggesting patience and self-control are better than fame (warrior) and wealth (capturing a city). Among many in America, this would be a hard thing to sell. In fact, they would suggest that impatience and pushing the edges of what many have deemed proper is the pathway to fame and wealth. This might be true, but the wisdom of the Proverbs would suggest that patience and self-control will be more valuable in the end. For the average person, patience and self-control are two areas in need of some work. In the work of faith, these are often described as discipline or working the Spiritual Disciplines. Maybe you are a nervous eater, and you want to break the habit. What do you do? You look closely at what triggers the eating. Yes, it happens during times of anxiousness, but are you alone, at home, at work, late at night, etc? Look closely at the environment and stimuli around you. What can you change? This is where discipline – being patient and working on self-control – are essential to the process. If your life goal is something other than fame and wealth, you might want to work on those disciplines that help teach patience and self-control; that make room for self-reflection; that help us tap the reservoir of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: We all give a lot of lip service to patience and self-control, but we’re not too good at it – O God of Eternity. Work with us, providing us tools and learning that can better shape our lives toward the good habits of serenity, forbearance and resilience. Amen.
SUNDAY NIGHT
