Gentle and Patient: Dialogues of Fenelon
“O God, am I called to put up with being badly served? I will do so gladly, if only I can thereby serve You well. My work is not to be well served, but to serve You well, to be gentle and patient under all that disturbs me.”
Above is a quote from the Dialogues of Fenelon. Fenelon is my favorite author but this quote absolutely disturbs me! Right after I read it, I received a phone call from the same obnoxious US Air representative that I heard from last year and the year before, letting me know that they made another mistake with my miles and had to remove some, which will now require us to pay money to maintain my status, which gives our ministry important benefits. You probably can tell by my run-on sentence that I wasn’t a very happy customer. It would be one thing if this occurred once…but three times? No wonder they are losing money and customers. And to make matters worse, she was snippety…and I certainly didn’t help matters! And…I have to then hear the above “be gentle and patient” during devotions! Let’s read that again:
“O God, am I called to put up with being badly served? I will do so gladly, if only I can thereby serve You well. My work is not to be well served, but to serve You well, to be gentle and patient under all that disturbs me.”
I am sure glad that God’s compassions are new every morning and because of His mercies we are not consumed (Lam 3)…or I would have been consumed a long time ago!
The picture below has nothing to do with my day…but it sure is beautiful.
posted by Mark Hamby | 7:12 PM
2 Comments:
"Under all that disturbs me...".
Thank you for sharing this quote. Much disturbs me right now, especially my selfish behavior to my family lately. I am a mother of eight and a homeschooler of seven children and I am very tired. When I get overly tired I forget that I am and should continue to be a servant. My flesh gets in the way and all that is "unfair" floods my mind. I am so thankful for the Grace of our Lord; for even when I feel unsustained I know deep inside he sustains me and always will!! My husband was laid off a month ago...please pray help us pray that the Lord would see fit to bring something soon.
I just ordered all your seminars for some encouragement!! Thanks Mark
Grace Active
O God, may Thy Spirit speak in me that I may speak to Thee. I Lord Jesus, great high priest, Thou hast opened a new and living way by which a fallen creature can approach Thee with acceptance.
Help me to contemplate the dignity of Thy Person, the perfectness of Thy sacrifice, the effectiveness of Thy intercession.
O what blessedness accompanies devotion, when under all the trials that weary me, the cares that corrode me, the fears that disturb me, the infirmities that oppress me, I can come to Thee in my need and feel peace beyond understanding!
The grace that restores is necessary to preserve, lead, guard, supply, help me. And here Thy saints encourage my hope; they were once poor and are now rich, bound and are now free, tried and now are victorious.
Every new duty calls for more grace than I now possess, but not more than is found in Thee, the divine treasury in whom all fullness dwells. To Thee I repair for grace upon grace, until every void made by sin be replenished and I am filled with all Thy fullness.
May my desires be enlarged and my hopes emboldened, that I may honour Thee by my entire dependency and the greatness of my expectation.
Do Thou be with me, and prepare me for all the smiles of prosperity, the frowns of adversity, the losses of substance, the death of friends, the days of darkness, the changes of life, and the last great change of all. May I find thy grace sufficient for all my needs.
...a prayer from "Valley of Vision"....as I read for myself, may it be an encouragment for others too...
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