“Love is patient…” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4 (ESV)
PATIENCE: An active endurance of opposition, not a passive resignation… Patience is endurance, steadfastness, long-suffering, and forbearance. ~ Holman Dictionary (emphasis mine)
My husband and I are absolute opposites when it comes to sleep. I am totally a morning person – always have been. My dad used to wake us up with a cheery call “rise and shine”. I guess it is just ingrained in me – I still “rise and shine” (except my bones take a little longer to get in gear these days 😉 )…My husband is the total opposite. He comes to life when the sun sets…and likes to stay up late — really late.
There was a time in our marriage when we went to bed at different times. Believe me when I tell you – that was not good. Some nights my husband didn’t get to bed until 2am. There were nights when I waited and waited (not very patiently)…Looking back, it still pains me (just a little).
What do you do in a marriage when you are not on the same page? It took me a very long time to get where I am today.
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
~ Psalm 40:1 (ESV)
Through praying and staying in His word, God heard my cry; not changing my husband — but working on my heart first. You see love, patience, respect all go hand-in-hand. I have learned that I can not change my husband (and should not). But I can ask God to make things clear to me, to change me, to help me see others like God sees them.
Working through the process in my marriage, helped me to also become more patient with others outside my marriage/family. I do still have impatient days, but they become less and less. Being patient brings peace and things seem to work smoother.
As for bed-time? We have compromised…we go to bed between my husbands and my time. I still rise early (I need a little quiet time in the morning before my day starts), but I wouldn’t want to give up the cuddle time before falling asleep for anything in the world…I just sleep less 😉 …
Thank you for stopping by today. Make sure to stop at Marsha’s blog “Marsha’s Musing” to link up and read other posts about “Love is Patient”. Remember: ask God to change your heart first before you ask God to change someone else.
