PATIENCE

Recently, in a church class, the teacher gave me a passage to read as part of the lesson. I kept the passage because, in my life, it had significant meaning to me. I've always has a problem when it comes to being patient. The passage states that patience is a "precious and rare virtue."

In D&C 67:13 we are told patience is necessary if we are ever to live in God's presence. "Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore, continue in patience until ye are perfected."

I would like to share the passage I was given to read. It was entitled "Waiting Can Be Hard." The piece was not referenced so I do not know who to credit for this statement:

"Waiting can be hard. Children know it, and so do adults. We live in a world offering fast food, instant messaging, on-demand movies, and immediate answers to most trivial or profound questions. We don't like to wait. Some even feel their blood pressure rise when their line at the grocery store moves slower than those around them. Patience--the ability to put our desires on hold for a time-- is a precious and rare virtue. We want what we want, and we want it now. Therefore, the very idea of patience may seem unpleasant and, at times, bitter. Nevertheless, without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect. Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace. As parents, we know how unwise it would be to indulge our children's every desire. But children are not the only ones who spoil when showered with immediate gratification. Our Heavenly Father knows what good parents come to understand over time: if children are ever going to mature and reach their potential, they must learn to wait."

I hope I remember this lesson the next time I get behind someone on the freeway that's going slower than I want to go!

Love, Kathi