Patience

Patience.

"The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble or suffering without getting angry or upset."

I suppose in today's world a true test of  patience is your ability to stand in line at your local Walmart without outburst. I've had my fair share of standing in line, and I can't say I've always come out successful.

I've told Chuck over the years that I am not a naturally patient person. Any patience I have acquired is due to the over thirty plus years that I taught elementary school. My patience with people is more difficult for me, where my patience in circumstances does seem to be more my strength, except perhaps for drive-through lanes which I avoid like the plague. 

I do believe, though, that patience is something worth cultivating. It can make you a more pleasant person to be around if you are not so easily frustrated by the slings and arrows of day to day life. 

Becoming more proficient at delayed gratification can help you to stick with, and master your goals. The famous marshmallow test given to young children showed that a child's ability to wait proved to be valuable over the course of their life in the success they achieved. 

Anticipation goes hand in hand with patience as you wait for something. As children, Christmas was highly anticipated as we wrote our letters to Santa counting down the days to his arrival. Because we were not showered with gifts throughout the year we learned to be patient waiting for the big day. 

Today's world does not always require us to be patient. Almost everything is at our fingertips in a moment's notice. Even a slight delay in the speed of our internet service can cause us to lose our cool. With Amazon same day delivery, and streaming movies we rarely have to wait long for anything.  

I can't help but smile when I think about the patience involved in waiting for the birth of a child. The anticipation, and the long months required can't really be rushed, as that baby does seem to have a mind of its own. God has a way of reminding us that he ultimately is in charge, and that patience is truly a virtue. 

"Patience is not simply the ability to wait-it's how we behave while we're waiting."

Joyce Meyer