His patience shows how deeply He loves us

Through the past few weeks of sharing, we have heard different stories about how “Love is Patient”. In the Bible, God’s love is always patient. According to the Second Epistle of Peter Chapter 3 Verse 9, ‘The Lord is not being slow in carrying out his promises, as some people think he is; rather is he being patient with you, wanting nobody to be lost and everybody to be brought to repentance.’ From this Bible verse, we can see that God’s love per se is patient. He does not rush to punishments. Instead, God has given us the time and opportunity to notice our mistakes and make changes accordingly. This shows that God’s love encompasses, inter alia, patience and that he is willing to generously provide us with time to better ourselves.

Let’s listen to another parable from Luke Chapter 15: There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, “Father, let me have the share of the estate that will come to me.” So the father divided the property between them. A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery. ‘When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he began to feel the pinch; so he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would willingly have filled himself with the husks the pigs were eating but no one would let him have them.

Then he came to his senses and said, “How many of my father’s hired men have all the food they want and more, and here am I dying of hunger! I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired men.” So he left the place and went back to his father. ‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him. Then his son said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we will celebrate by having a feast because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.” And they began to celebrate.

From the act of the father in the parable, we can see that his love for his younger son was unchanged. Not only was he not upset with his son’s reckless pursuit of hedonism, but also decided to forgive his son when his son came back and apologised. The father was simply delighted to have his younger son back and therefore treated him with love. The father in the story is a clear projection of God. The path towards God’s majestic love is always there for us to repent. God will remain patient even when we stray away from His divine plans. This ex gratia patience to wait for our repentance and hesitation in punishments shows how deeply He loves us.

Let us remember “God’s Love is Patient” undoubtedly, and that God is always waiting for us to repent for our mistakes so that He can embrace us to be His beloved children again.

6L
29 Septermber 2022