Longsuffering

"But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and plenteous in mercy and truth." -- Psalm 86:15

Kris Vallotton wrote an excellent blog on suffering long. He told a story of being in the midst of a dark time in his life due to a family situation and because of that he sought out a professional counselor (see excerpt below). This blog gave me a fresh perspective on longsuffering.

"In the midst of the darkest time of my life, I went to see a professional counselor. Of course, the first question he asked was, "Why have you come to see me?" I told him how discouraged and depressed I was over a family situation. He asked me again, "So, why have you come to see me?" "I told you," I snapped back, "I'm discouraged and depressed." He proceeded to ask me the same question again. Finally, I asked in a very frustrated voice, "What's your point?" "Well, the Bible says that love suffers long," he answered. "You are suffering because people that you love are suffering. Jesus said that we are to mourn with those who mourn. You're in mourning because your family is suffering. You're responding the way that Jesus taught us to respond. When this is over, you will get to rejoice with those who rejoice! Until then, trust God with your family, and know that this season will end in time."