I was on the debate team and the speech team in HS. I grew up in an extended family that debated everything. Passionately. Sometimes just plain old argued passionately. Yet these days I find that I can no longer bear to discuss politics. It seems impossible for me to express my thoughts and views the way I really want to express them. I do feel strongly about many things. But the words I choose convey completely different meanings than I intend. I was reading my Bible and found this scripture for myself. I think that it is what I have been trying to make my focus.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law”. [Galatiaians 5:22-23].
Rather than stress or be distressed about why the discussions are not as Galatians states I decided awhile ago to try to always be the way Galatians describes. I fall short regularly. Sometimes I fall short spectacularly. But I long for the days when the virtues described in Galatians reign supreme in the land. Yes I am idealistic. Some may say unrealistic. But I am optimistic–yeh, a perennial optimist. I pray that the virtues of longsuffering, gentleness, meekness, and temperance spread in our particular venues. Remember, ‘you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar’ ;-). I really am loving the word longsuffering today. It is a really cool word.
Believe Anyway 
But . . . if everyone lived according to the fruit of the spirit, no one would have to be longsuffering . . . would they?
Oh my gosh that’s true! You are so right!
More and more amazing how truly in sync you and I are… š
i agree—i feel the same way looking at your posts hugmamma!