Week One: PATIENCE

I have decided to share some of my thoughts with my friends and family. I often ponder about how I can be a stronger person and find that if I don’t keep a journal of those thoughts it’s easy to forget. I will start sharing some of my thoughts on my blog so I can remember the goals that I am striving for.

I know most people will be able to relate to this post as most of us deal with trials on a daily basis; whether it’s our kids, our family, our personal self-esteem, our money, or our testimonies. The past couple of months I have really tried to focus on the positive and all the blessings that I am so gratefully blessed with. I often find myself in very humbling situations and this brings me back to the realization that I am truly blessed in so many aspects. I often wonder if the greatest trial is PATIENCE. It seems that when I am stressed I can look back hours later and realize that if I would have been patient and let things play out the stress would have been minimal. The phrase, “Patience is a Virtue,” never meant that much to me until I realized that it truly is a virtuous quality that we can posses. I love reading talks from previous General Conferences, they are so inspiring. Elder Oaks said: We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God’s purposes and patterns to unfold in our lives, on His timetable. I love this because it reminds me that I am not on my own in this life and things aren’t always going to happen on “my time” but rather on “His time.” So then the question is, since impatience is so natural, how can I develop the virtue of patience?

This is the council that Elder Oaks give us. How can I change my behavior as that of the natural man to that of our patient, perfect example, Jesus Christ? First, we must understand that to do so is necessary, if we desire to fully enjoy the blessings of the restored gospel. Such an understanding might motivate us to:

• 1. Read each of the scriptures in the Topical Guide listed under the topic “patience” and then ponder Christ’s patient examples.
• 2. Evaluate ourselves to determine where we stand on the patience continuum. How much more patience do we need to become more Christ like?
• 3. Become sensitive to the examples of patience and of impatience that occur around us every day. We should strive to emulate those individuals we consider to be patient.
• 4. Recommit each day to become more patient, and be certain to keep our selected family member involved in our patience project.

Sometimes it’s hard to take that first step in trying to overcome a trial. I often have to remind myself that trials are “normal” and I am not the only one that is suffering because things aren’t happening on “my timetable.” I trust that everything is about timing and with purpose. Thanks for the great friendships and examples that all of you are to me!