Humility = Patience + Gratitude - 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18

5:14 - After explaining that all the righteous dead would be able to partake in the second coming, Paul continues by teaching the Thessalonian saints how they should behave to remain righteous. It appears as though Paul is speaking to the church leadership in Thessalonica, because he tells them what they should be teaching others. They should "warn them that are unruly." The word "unruly" is cross referenced with 2 Thessalonians 3:11 which says, "For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busy bodies." This might mean that there were some among them that were calling attention to themselves in an annoying way. It might include being nosy, loud, or opinionated in a way that was uncalled for. No one wants to be around those types of people, even though we are almost all that way sometimes. It makes us look bad and the organizations that we associate with look undesirable. "Unruly" might also just be referring to someone who is not concerned with the comfort of others while insisting on their own. And again we are all like this sometimes, but it's important to keep ourselves in check too. Paul counsels them to "comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men." These three points all go together because when we are more spiritually advanced than someone else, we might find their questions immature or childish or we might come at them with an attitude of "well if you were more diligent then you would already know this," or other things like that. We might feel like someone else's questions or spiritual progression are dragging our own progression down. And while there is absolutely a place for boundaries, it's important to remember that all people are where they are spiritually for a reason and usually tat reason is self-preservation. So many of my friends and family members have left the church after horrible treatment by church members, sometimes in official capacities and sometimes not. I my self left the church after being treated horribly by priesthood leadership. I came back, but I understand why some people don't. And this isn't to say that the only reason people leave the church is because of poor treatment. All I'm trying to say is that there are innumerable reasons why people struggle with the church or with doctrine and all their reasons are valid, and until we can accept the fact that their journey is just as valid as our own, we won't be able to make those connections. Pertaining to the word "patient" specifically, the article on this chapter quotes Neal A. Maxwell as teaching, "The patient person assumes that what others have to say is worth listening to. A patient person is not so chronologically eager to put forth is own ideas. In true humility, we do some waiting upon others. We value them for what they say and what they have to contribute. Patience and humility are special friends." Trying to become more patient has been a huge challenge and a huge blessing to me. I try to listen more than I talk, I try to not interrupt people, I try to address what they've just said and validate their feelings and concerns. I'm not great at it by any means, but I am genuinely trying. And I do that because I'm trying to see other people as just as valuable as myself, their input and experiences as being something that I need in my life just as much as I think that they need what I have. 5:15 - Paul continues that they should "see that none render evil for evil unto any man." As people on this planet, we constantly are being hurt physically or emotionally by others, sometimes purposefully but usually not. This is to teach forgiveness and is a major deviation from the law of Moses' "eye for an eye." The article quotes Marion D. Hanks as noting, "Envy, arrogance, unrighteous dominion- these canker the soul of one who is guilty of them. It is true also if we fail to forgive. Even if it appears that another may be deserving of our resentment or hatred, none of us can afford to pay the price of resenting or hating, because of what it does to us. If we have felt the gnawing, mordant inroads of these emotions, we know the harm we suffer." I like the sentiment, "hatred is like drinking poison and then waiting for the other person to die." Now I don't have all the answers when it comes to forgiveness because I'm still working on a lot of that myself, but I have made major strides over the last several years in not only forgiving others but forgiving myself. The only advice that I can give when it comes to forgiveness is that it only comes through working with Jesus. Jesus is the one that heals us, he's the one who shows us how to let go, and gradually, over time we become less interested in the other person and more interested in our own progression. I don't know how it works, but it just does and I know that it takes a long time, but the time is going to pass anyway, where do you want to be at the end of it? 5:16-18 - Paul encourages them to "rejoice evermore," which I take to mean to be optimistic. This is hard for me because by nature I am a very doom and gloom, pessimistic person so I've had to work on looking on the bright side of things. So much of my ability to be optimistic is based on my faith, which sounds cliché, but what I mean is, I don't have to feel badly about the past because I know that Jesus heals. I don't have to feel guilty about the present because I know that as long as I'm doing my best, Jesus will make up the difference, and I don't have to worry about the future because I trust in God's plan for me. Now these are easier said then done, but it has really worked out for me so far. I can see God's hand in all things so I know that my situation is exactly where he wants me to be. I can see my blessings, so I know where I can help others. I believe in the plan of salvation so I have hope that in the end, all things will be made right. That's been a little bit of my pathway so far, and it's been going well. Oh, also I'm medicated, which really helps. Paul continues, "Pray without ceasing." Now we've heard this said a lot, and logically we know that we can't be kneeling down praying all day everyday because we have to go to work and stuff. The article has some really good insight about this phrase as it's said throughout the scriptures, saying, "there were not only advising them to pray formally, but also to feel and react to the presence of God in their lives. Praying without ceasing could be a condition rather than an act. We must be aware of the Lord's constant blessings to us. Both Paul and Alma closely linked the idea of praying unceasingly with expression of gratitude to the Lord… When in our daily lives we are sensitive to our great gifts from our Father in heaven, we are likely to be far closer to the Spirit, and therefore better able to stay in communication with the Lord. Ingratitude to the Lord does quench the Spirit and close us off; to pray unceasingly we must be unendingly aware of our debt to the Lord and His powerful role in our lives… Where there is appreciation , there is courtesy, there is concern for the rights and property of others. Without it there is arrogance and evil. Where there is gratitude, there is humility, as opposed to pride." It's interesting that in these simple guidelines there is a recipe for humility that that I have never really put together before but that I think is very helpful. Humility dwells when there is patience and gratitude. I really like this because I'm the type of person who asks, "ok but HOW do I be humble?" And for a long time I thought it meant that I was worthless, but over time I've come to see that this is absolutely not true. So I love this because patience and gratitude is something that I can measure in each encounter that I have, in each moment of my day. It's really a beautiful process.