Friday is upon us and with it another letter in the A-Z...
P is for Patience
'the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble,
or suffering without getting angry or upset'
Since it's Friday and it's been a busy week and we're all running on fumes in the April A-Z Blog challenge I'm keeping it simple. Five things I've learned relating to my word of the day....
1. Patience is a quality I admire and appreciate in others, and one I want displayed in my own life too. I have always been a very patient person. The world is so noisy and demanding and impatient, and I aim to be counter cultural in this regard.
2. That being said, I'm surprised to find I have less patience for a lot of things in this season. I thought the reverse would be true. Discovering my fuse has shortened some is disheartening. Maybe it's got less to do with aging and more to do with the cranky state of the world that has strained my patience? I'm hoping that's true.
3. I want the people I love to have patience with me too. Cultivating patience helps us avoid impulsive actions and also impulsive words. When I'm patient I'm not giving control over to a person or situation that's causing stress and as a result I have the energy and clarity of mind to deal with whatever needs to be dealt with.
4. That's the goal of course, but like most things in life it takes practice. We all get plenty of it.
5. Most importantly patience leads to another p word-peace. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit....a deliberate choice to trust God's timing and leave room for Him to work. Slow to anger the way God is with me.
May you feel the peace only He can bring on this good Good Friday friends.
'Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time
we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.' Galatians 6:9
