Pati

In February the kids and i coloured pictures and posted the words that love is, from 1 Corinthians. I thought for Valentines day it would be nice if we could remember what love looks like. We talked a lot about Who love is, and about a month ago i posted about lent. Since then i haven't posted the regular things because i cant get out of my head what i am learning about patient and passion.


First, let me say that i do not know Latin. And what i have learned is from limited research. But what i did find was so fascinating that i haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I discovered that in Latin the word passion means suffering. The root word is 'pati'. I found this very interesting to think of 'Passion Sunday' or 'The Passion of the Christ'. And even in our own language I say how I am passionate about my children, my husband, my love for G*d... and knitting... and baking... and gardening... and so forth.


The word root 'pati' has grown into other words in English. Patience is one of them.



"Love is long suffering..." 1 Corinthians 13:4(NKJV)



I found this particularly remarkable because i had never heard that version before! I am use to NIV and Message, and even The Good News Bible, but they all have something closer to patient, instead of suffering.


I often pray for patience, but not for G*d to give me the opportunities, but that i would just grow patience. But like many things, you don't just gain, you grow. You learn. And learning can be hard. Watching Jul learn how to read was very much like that. He suffered and struggled and fought against it. But once he saw that he could do little words, the bigger words came after. He is, by no means, passionate about it. However, he does do it. And when he is patient and not flustered he does very well.


But does it mean to be passionate about something that i must always show patience? Well... I knit sweet things together, and that does take time. I wait for G*d's rustle in my heart. And try desperately to be patient with my deeply loved children. And growing patience is hard and something i think feels a lot like suffering. And it causes suffering in those around us when we don't possess it.


So... when i say that i am passion about something, please know that i have grown in that area. And with patience, please keep me in your prayers that i grow stronger in this area.