James 5:7-9
Bearing With One Another: How Patience Strengthens Our Relationships – James 5:7-9
James 5:7-9 (NIVUK)
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
Commentary
Patience is essential in all our relationships, whether that’s our friendships or with others in church or in our communities or with a romantic relationship. Verse nine says, beloved, do not grumble against each other.
And of course, grumbling is an expression of impatience, isn’t it? It’s an unwillingness to bear with the difficulties there are in our relationships. And we are always in such a rush to tell people if they’ve done wrong, to justify our own position, and there is almost always wisdom in saying, let’s just give this some time.
Let’s sleep on this and talk tomorrow, or talk next week. In any real relationship, it is impossible to sustain that without forgiveness and without patience. So. Learn to bear with one another, to bear in the difficulties of relationships, to bear with the discomfort, to bear with one another in love and to be patient with one another.
Now, patience does not mean apathy. It does not mean not acting, especially if there’s a serious problem that needs to be addressed. But it does mean not acting out of frustration, or anger or impatience. It means that our actions are governed by what is right and that we do so prayerfully and thoughtfully and considerately, and we wait for the right moment and we act proportionately.
That’s how we deal with problems. The problem is all too often our impatience means we deal with problems really badly because we’re in a rush and we do it at the wrong time. And I think also we need to recognise that the results that we hope for will take longer than we imagine. Don’t in your impatience expect to see change right away.
People are complicated and if you’re ever struggling with impatience with somebody else, stop for a moment and remember how patient God has had to be with you. He gives us time. We need to be patient with others.