Patience is something that has been very valuable to me.  Having patience has saved me in so many avenues of my life; home, school, work, sports, friends, kids, etc.  Being able to tolerate change, disruptions, and disagreements without becoming angry is a true blessing. 

Having patience for those we love is so important yet so difficult.  One would think those we love would be the easiest for us to show patience toward.  However, for most of us, we know that we have their unconditional love.  Unfortunately, it is my family who is most likely to see me lose my patience.  Therefore, I pay particular attention to my level of patience around them.  Thank God for apologies and forgiveness!     

It took great patience and perseverance for me to struggle through my years of graduate school.  My patience helped me avoid the anger and anxiety that many students encounter; persevering throughout, and not getting discouraged. Allowing myself to take one day at a time; not looking at the number of years lost, but the doors that the graduate degree would open up long term. 

Developing patience at work is another blessing.  Considering most of us spend more hours with our co-workers than with our family it is very important to learn to tolerate our bosses, co-workers, and customers. For me, co-workers have always been my second family.  When I keep my co-workers in the category of “family,” it helps me keep them as a priority in my life.  This means I also pay close attention to my level of patience around my work family.

Patience is something that I work very hard to remember as a spectator during sporting events.  The word I use before my kids’ sporting activities is disengagement.  Which is a work in progress for me!  I don’t disengage from my kids, but from all the craziness that comes with youth sports.  When I forget to purposefully disengage, it never fails that I think or say something that I should not have thought or said.  Patience has served me well in youth sports. 

Thank God for patience in friendships.  We all have times when our closest friends do something out of character or have an issue that we need to overlook or tolerate.  My closest friends all have patience with me regarding my “slight” imperfections that arise from time to time! It is tolerance or patience with these imperfections that somehow make our friendships stronger.    

Most often my lack of patience is due to my inability to take time to step back from the situation and give it to God.  When I am tired or have had a difficult day I know that I am going to have to be extra careful regarding my level of patience.  Daily, I pray for strength in this area.

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