Patience In Faith

vs. restlessness

Taking the time necessary to work through a difficult situation

To practice Patience, I will:

change the things I can change and accept the things I cannot
keep trying until I succeed
make the most of my wait time
not interrupt
not complain during delays

“Patience is a Virtue”

You’ve heard that Patience is a Virtue. How is it that waiting politely can be so virtuous? A look at Impatience may tell us more. When I am impatient I am thinking only about me, my needs, my discomfort, my point of view. Impatience is ego-centric, arrogant and self-centered. Impatience places my needs above others’ needs and even above God. Impatience makes me susceptible to the devil’s temptations. How virtuous does Patience look now?

In 1 Corinthians 13 we hear that Love is Patient. The more love we have for others, the more patience we have for them. Patience removes us from the center of our universe and places God there, so we can love others more than ourselves. This even applies to those who are difficult for us to love.

It takes a lot of practice to develop patience, but thankfully, God has provided us with the Holy Spirit to help us. No matter what we may face today, we know that God has already provided us with the Grace to handle it. And each time we overcome a small trial with Grace, it builds our Patience and our Faith for being able to handle larger and more difficult circumstances. Patience helps us handle challenges with kindness, anger with acceptance and delays without whining. That’s a lot of virtue!

This month, use your Patience to bolster your virtue and focus outside of yourself.