Lent Day 12

The illustration is odd for a modern audience. When might you need to capture a city in battle? You likely think you will never be faced with such choices. But that’s not true. You daily choose between power and patience. A small child bursts into tears because their sandwich was cut on the diagonal–or for any number of other seemingly insignificant reasons. As a parent, you can yell, spank the child, and send them to their room without lunch. You can express your power and dominance over the child. Or you can speak softly, kindly. You can ask questions. You can express patience. But you cannot have both power and patience at the same moment. You can control your emotions, or you can conquer your child’s city. But you can’t do both. You may be able to bring order to a situation through power. But patience and self-control are better.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, temper our power with patience. Give us wisdom to choose our battles wisely and strength by your Holy Spirit to grow in patience. When situations arise that we, in our flesh, desire to control, temper us so that we might choose the better path. Amen.