Search

Marriage Meditation: The Fruit of the Spirit Is Patience

Share:
A man and woman sit silently after arguing
© Antonioguillem/Adobe Stock
It’s easy to be angry. But God challenges us to live differently. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us “The fruit of the Spirit is … patience.”

Getting Started

  • Watch today’s Marriage Meditation video.
  • Read today’s Marriage Meditation devotion.
  • Share today’s question with your spouse.

Today’s Devotion

Scripture Reading:

  • Galatians 5:22-23 — “The fruit of the Spirit is … patience.”
  • Psalm 86:15 – “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

Meditation:

Have you ever heard someone describe living or working with an angry person is like? They might describe it as:

  • Walking on eggshells.
  • Walking through a minefield.
  • Living next door to Mount Vesuvius.

What they really mean is they’re stuck with a short-tempered person and never know when that person will explode with anger. An angry person leaves a wake of hurt, scars and broken relationships wherever they go.

And, frankly, it’s easy to be angry. To explode emotionally. If we follow the example of today’s world, we’ll become bitter, hurtful people who react explosively to any issue — no matter how small. But God challenges us to live differently. Galatians 5:22-23 tells us “The fruit of the Spirit is … patience.” Or as one translation of the Bible puts it, “longsuffering.”

What comes to mind when you hear the words patience or longsuffering? An image of a saintly person who looks slightly pained and close to tears … but determined to endure all the anger and insults thrown at them? Think again. Longsuffering actually means “long-tempered.” And it’s an active choice we make when dealing with difficult situations.

What does patience or longsuffering look like in a relationship? Psalm 86:15 describes God’s relationship with His people this way: “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

So, when it comes to marriage, our goal should be to respond to our spouse with patience, mercy, endurance and hope. We’re not saying you should turn a blind eye to sin and abuse. Those behaviors should be confronted and dealt with quickly. But when it comes to the day-to-day relationship with our spouse, we should show them the grace, faithfulness and love that God has shown us.

As you put longsuffering into practice, remember that it’s one of the fruits of the Spirit. Patience is a God-powered behavior. We can’t do it on our own. But with the Holy Spirit’s help, we can change the way we respond to our spouse and exchange anger for longsuffering love.


Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for treating me with patience, mercy and love. Help me to show the same patience to my spouse. Amen

Today’s Question

How has God shown His love, mercy and grace to you? How can you show patience to your spouse?

More Resources

Share:

About the Author

Read More About:

You May Also Like

A beaver building a dam with branches, representing the beaver animal personality: organized, detailed, and dependable.
Marriage

The Beaver Personality

Guess what’s on the class ring at MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology)? Or at Caltech (the California Institute of Technology)? Both of these colleges are arguably two of the

Golden retriever sitting indoors with a calm, gentle expression, symbolizing the golden retriever animal personality: loyal, caring, and a peacemaker.
Marriage

The Golden Retriever Personality

Golden Retrievers are considerate, good-natured and strong team players. They’re naturally kindhearted and love helping, serving and looking for ways to come alongside others, particularly if they’re around people who

An otter splashes joyfully in the water, symbolizing the otter animal personality: fun-loving, creative, and optimistic.
Marriage

The Otter Personality

Otters are fun-loving, enthusiastic, playful and encour­aging. They love people and love to talk. That’s one reason why they know hundreds of people but don’t know anyone’s name! Otters —