God’s Patient Forgiveness

2 Peter 3:9 (NLT): God’s Patient Forgiveness

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise [to come again], as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.

Nearly six years ago, when I was thirty-nine, my wife posed an important question: “Why don’t we go to church for Easter?” And my response was immediate: “Are you kidding me?” I said, “What am I some kind of hypocrite?” At that point in my life, church was the farthest thing from my mind. A relationship with Christ meant nothing more than a faint belief buried deep down inside of me, and even that was distorted and tuned out. Going to church, I thought, was going through the motions -- it meant nothing and seemed a waste of time. But God’s grace is amazing, and my life would soon begin a drastic change.

There was no near-death experience, no psychological meltdown, and I did not fall from a horse to the shock of a blinding light. God’s grace simply fell upon me, and I had enough sense to cooperate. And in that time, I began reading the New Testament, starting with Matthew’s Gospel. It is impossible to articulate the power of the holy Spirit and the voice of Christ that I heard in that reading. But something inside of me finally ignited. Reading the Gospel for the first time literally changed my life! This initial conversion experience would be the catalyst for repentance and a new life of faith. And as soon as I shared this joy with my wife, she immediately joined me in what became “our” walk of faith.

St. Peter reminds the Christian community that God is ever patient, not wanting anyone to be destroyed, but wanting everyone to repent (2 Peter 3:9). Peter gives this early Christian community hope, the same hope we experience today.

The second coming of Christ is a staple of basic Christian understanding. This can happen ten minutes or ten millennia from now. Scripture, however, poses this question: Are we ready? This week’s readings point us to the love of our God who patiently waits. He waits for us to turn to his love, despite our imperfections and blindness. I am a living testament to this.

As we walk together this Advent, let us pray that we experience the loving grace of God in our lives as we, too, wait in expectation of Christ’s coming. And let us share that love with those we encounter.

Have a blessed week!

Stan