Patience---or Long-Suffering

Patience or Longsuffering?  I've had this post idea nibbling at the edges of my brain for some time now.  Let's see if I can get it written down.  A while ago I started thinking about how some versions of the Bible use the word Patience while others use Long-Suffering, and I decided that I liked Long-Suffering better.  Why?  Because for me the word Patience has such nice connotations---like it's referring to someone who has it together, and is in quiet and complete possession of themselves while they wait for something.  Long-Suffering, on the other hand, just says it like it is: suffering looooong.  It's not really nice, not pretty, not all put together.  Long-Suffering, to me, refers to someone who is slogging through the trenches with muddy cold feet, trying desperately to keep their rifle dry as they wait for reinforcements. (Please forgive the military reference.  I can't help myself!)  There are 2 particular verses that come to mind when I think of this comparison.  One of them is the description of the Fruit of The Spirit, where Patience (Long-Suffering) is put right in there with Love, Joy, Peace and Kindness.  Seems so nice doesn't it?  Now please don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying there is anything wrong with 'nice' Patience!  But when you get right down to the nitty gritty in life and you are waiting desperately for something, and so many times you feel like you can.not.wait. another moment, you don't run to Patience!  You go to Long-Suffering.  Because you can DO long-suffering.  You do it every day while you wait.  You slog through the mud of life and you push on and you continue and you stay determined and you work HARD at keeping faith.  You suffer long.  The other verse I think of is in The Love Chapter where it says "Love is patient and kind".  The other version says "Love suffers long and is kind".  Makes a difference, don't you think?  Sometimes loving others takes Patience, but at other times it takes Looong Suffering!  Oh you know what I mean, and someone's name or face just popped into your head didn't it?  Admit it!  There are some people who are easy to love and there are others who cause you to hunker down for a siege of suffering long! lol  Jokes aside, though, there are people we meet/grow up with/are related to, etc.  who take some suffering in order to love them, aren't there?  There are many facets to this suffering long in order to love thing, but that's a whole other tangent I will not get off on here.  This post is already gonna be long enough! =)  My point here is that if you are going to love someone else with any depth or strength you are going to need a portion of 'patience' or 'long-suffering'.  And once again, when it gets hard to love, you don't run to Patience, you run to Long-Suffering.  That's the only way to get through, the only way to keep loving. Long-Suffering. I don't think the word Patience says enough.  'Patience' seems like it should be easier somehow than 'Long-Suffering'.  When I try to be Patient and it's not easy, I feel like I somehow have fallen short---like I should be better at this 'Patient' thing.  Then I get frustrated.  But if I think that in this particular situation in life, or with this particular person I  have to be Long-Suffering, I know it's gonna be hard right from the start! No ifs ands or buts about it!  I like that better because I don't have to feel like I've failed when it's hard to wait--or when it's hard to keep loving.  I'm doing wth the Bible says:  Suffering Long.  =)  Of course, the bottom line here is, it's not about how hard it is to wait or to love.  It's about the not giving up.  If you can do Patient, then be thankful.  It's a gift from God.  Really.  But if all you can do is Long-Suffering, be thankful for that too.  Because it's also a gift from God.  Long-Suffering (or Patience--depending on your version!) is what keeps us from giving up, from quitting, from letting go, from losing hope. And not.giving.up. is a very good thing.