Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation

Scripture: Romans 12:9-16

“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind high on things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.”

Reaction: I found this reading under the topic of Hospitality, because today I‘m hosting a luncheon for some friends. These are ladies who have expressed an interest in starting a prayer group at our church, and after lunch we’ll discuss some possible formats. I have to admit that I don’t entertain as often as I like, partly because I’m often self-conscious about my house, my food choices, etc. Perhaps I lack confidence, or perhaps I’m too self-absorbed, wanting to make a good impression on others. But in the past few years I’ve become less concerned about outward appearances, concentrating more on making my guests feel at home. This has been a very freeing experience!

Still, I spent the morning cleaning before beginning my meditation. While the passage does encourage hospitality, that wasn’t the phrase that was the most meaningful to me. Several other phrases echoed my reflections of the last several months, especially giving preference to others, serving the Lord, and being steadfast in prayer. But the phrase that I repeated as my mantra today was “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation”.

I know that I’ve been feeling a little unsettled lately because there are a lot of things up in the air: the prayer group, an exercise class I’m scheduled to teach in the fall (if enough people sign up), other part-time job possibilities, and extended dance lessons (my husband’s request). I am again waking earlier than I’d like to, after only 5 or 6 hours of sleep, and even though I’m not actively thinking about all of my options, and how everything will fit together, I think they’re still in the back of my mind. Insomnia is a tribulation I’ve encountered for many years now; it became chronic when my job demands became overwhelming, and still crops up from time to time, even though all of my current commitments are self-imposed. But eventually my sleep patterns revert to my preferred 7 -8 hours per night. When I’m troubled by insomnia, I try to tell myself ‘This too shall pass.” Usually this helps, and today’s scripture reinforced the need to be patient during this time of uncertainty. Likewise, I'm very hopefully about the same activities that are causing my unrest. All of them are very exciting to me, though I’m afraid I might over-commit or that the timeframes will overlap. Still, I know that things always seem to work out, so I can be hopeful in this regard. Since I have so many opportunities ahead of me, I can rejoice in the hope that they will bring me that much closer to God, as well as providing me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. Besides, since I am intent on doing the will of the Lord, certainly He will assist in making all things workable.