There's an old saying that "A burden shared is a burden halved." That may be true to some extent but what I've found out over time and trials is that "pain shared" is not "pain halved." When someone causes you tremendous pain and you, then, cause them tremendous pain, you wind up with twice as much pain, not half as much. That's a tough lesson. Love and peace come from returning kind words for harsh ones. Freedom lies in that moment when you realize you have a choice, and you let your spirit (that which is God-connected) determine your response, rather than your soul (heart/mind) or your body (the flesh) make the decision for you.

When my son was a preschooler, I started praying for patience. In my snarky sense of humor, I thought it would be amusing to demand patience immediately. I figured God would see the humor/irony in that.....um, well, God saw that despite my attempted comedy (God, give me patience and give it to me right now!) that I really was praying in my spirit for patience. Of course, the Lord works in His own time and now, 12 years later, I'm seeing the lessons learned, the lessons failed, the progress made. The Lord has blessed me with situations and relationships that have trained and developed my patience to a higher level. Things that seemed like a curse have actually been His blessing, His answer to that prayer.

Lord, I thank you for being my creator, Father, Savior, Lord, my comfort in times of trouble, my teacher of lessons (some quite difficult and painful). I see that you do answer all prayers and I praise and glorify your name because of all you have done for me. Amen