| The Every Day of Life |
Chapter 15 |
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His patience with his enemies is also wonderful. It was not the patience of weakness; for at any moment he might have summoned legions of angels from heaven to strike down his opposers. Nor was it the patience of stoicism that did not care for nor feel the stings of hate and persecution; for never was there another life on earth that felt so keenly the hurts of human enmity. Nor was it the patience of sullenest, such as is sometimes seen in savages, who bear torture in grim, haughty silence. Never did the world see any other patience so sweet, so gentle. He prayed for his murderers. He gave back gentlest answers to most cruel words. His response to the world’s enmity was the gift of salvation. From the cruel wounds made by nail and spear came the blood of human redemption.
We see his patience also in his work. He saw very few results from his preaching. He was a sower, not a reaper. Multitudes flocked after him and heard his words, but went away unimpressed. Yet he never lost heart.
Thus to whatever phase of Christ’s wonderful life we turn, we see sublime patience. He was a patient in accepting his Father’s will, patient toward the world’s in and sorrow, patient with men’ unreasonableness, un-charity, unkindness, patient in suffering wrong. Marvelous, indeed, is this quality in our Lord’s life. Who is not ready to turn the benediction into a prayer, saying: “Lord, direct my heart … into the patience of Christ?” We all need patience. It is one of the rarest adornments of character. “Patience,” says one, “is like the pearl among the gems. By its quiet radiance it brightens every human grace and adorns every Christian excellence.”
In the work of our life, too, and in our contacts with others, patience is essential. We need it in our homes. The very closeness and the familiarity of the relations of the lives within our own doors make it hard at times for us to preserve perfect sweetness of spirit. There is much un-discipline as yet in most earthly families! We too easily throw off our reserve and our carefulness, and are too apt now and then to speak or act disagreeably, unkindly. We assert ourselves, are willful and exacting.
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