Begin your discussion with a moment of quiet reflection, individual or group prayer, or whatever would be conducive to further discussion. Share with the group, as appropriate, your experiences during the week in being disciplined, in doing the journal exercises, in being more patient, or whatever.

1. Patience (or "longsuffering") has a number of different meanings:
 
1. It means enduring abuse, the ability to suffer a long time under the mistreatment of others (ridicule, scorn, insults, rebukes, even outright persecution) without growing resentful or bitter.
2. It means being able to withstand provocation (such as defiance of authority, goading, or nagging).
3. It means being able to tolerate the shortcomings of others. See Eph.4:2-3.
4. It means being able to wait on God, able to accept not only God's will but God's timetable as well.
2. Patience derives from our salvation through Jesus in a very direct way: Through the life and death of Jesus, an act in which you had no say, which you did not merit, and which provides you with a benefit you cannot earn, you have been brought into loving communion with God. Jesus endured the ultimate in suffering and unjust tribulation, solely for your benefit. Given that, we are never entitled to pronounce that some lesser degree of endurance, or tolerance, or delay, is beyond reasonable expectations.
3. How to develop patience?
 
1. The easy advice is to be slow to anger, but why is this so hard? You would think that Christians would be especially slow to anger, given the nature of the patience that has been shown toward them. See, e.g., parable of the unmerciful servant (Matt.18:21-35). Why don't we do a better job?
2. This same thought was picked up in the advance exercise. The implicit message in that exercise is that much of our impatience can be addressed through:
 
1. recognition that we are not so good ourselves that we can be short with others;
2. recognition that much of what provokes our impatience is not really all that important;
3. recognition that a little overt forgiveness can solve much; and
4. recognition that carrying around impatience means deliberately carrying a sin and can be mitigated by asking for forgiveness.
5. Did any of these work for you? Why or why not?
3. Which type of circumstances most try your patience? Are there techniques you can share for dealing with these circumstances?

4/17/98