Have any of you read Pres. Uchtdorf’s talk “Continue in Patience?” This Sunday I’m teaching the lesson in Relief Society based on this talk.
There is so much to learn, so many good bits of wisdom that he offers.
“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.”
Who doesn’t want a deeper happiness in life? We must wade through the bitter and unpleasant in order to really appreciate the joy.
“There is an important concept here: patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!”
Many times when I hear the words patience I have an image in my mind of someone sitting and waiting but Elder Uchtdorf tells us patience is not passive. He uses action words – work, hope, exercise – to explain how we must continue on in patience.
“Impatience, on the other hand, is a symptom of selfishness. It is a trait of the self-absorbed. It arises from the all-too-prevalent condition called “center of the universe” syndrome, which leads people to believe that the world revolves around them and that all others are just supporting cast in the grand theater of mortality in which only they have the starring role.”
This definition of impatience really struck a chord! Applying some introspection I’ve come to realize that while I can be very patient in some things – waiting in long lines, taking time to learn a new concept, etc. – there are certain everyday things and situations that cause me to become impatient. I often tease saying the reason I have so many children is because I haven’t learned patience yet. I become impatient when it takes longer for them to finish a math assignment than what I think it should. I show impatience when I am interrupted – while reading a book, playing the piano, working on the computer, etc. It is definitely a virtue that I need to work on!
What are some areas where it is easy for you to have patience?
What every day things cause you to lose your patience?
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When my first child was small, I was always looking to the next milestone, thinking that it would be more fulfilling. That was a time of impatience and selfishness for me. I didn’t enjoy the current stage and spent my time wishing away the present.
Even though I have a ton of room for improvement, I can see how far I’ve come. I truly enjoy the stages my children are at. I still battle with anxiety for where they are going, but I’m working on it.
I’m not sure if that’s exactly what you are looking for, but I think being patient with ourselves is part of being patient with others and our situations.
Let us know how the lesson goes!
I loved this talk by President U. He’s the man!
Either I really need to learn patience or I need to figure out the true lesson the Lord has for me. Seems I get an awful lot of patience themed trials in my life. You tell me.
I lose patience with myself. I also lose patience when people expect me to do something and yet don’t tell me what to do to reach those expectations. Case in point is a trial I’m going through with my mother right now. I may or may not be moving my maybe bedridden maybe not grandma who may or may not have Alzheimer’s that I may or may not have to pick up at the airport on Tuesday. See what I mean? Rip out my hair… wait, I like my hair.
I think I’ll go eat some chocolate. 🙂
Good luck with your lesson. Maybe recommending your sisters to eat a bite of chocolate and enjoy it to slow down and get out of their head is the way to go. 🙂 Or at least… that’s what I like to do.
PS my word on captcha was dying. Depressing. I understand Captcha and hate it all at the same time.
Wonderful post and comments. I loved all of the talks this conference and have felt like most of them were talking directly to me, personally.
Thanks for reminding me of this wonderful talk, in which he, of course, was talking directly to me, the center of the universe?
I love his meaning of patience. No we dont have to sit and wait for something to happen, or let problems rule us. We have the ability to do something while waiting in patience. this is indeed wise words.
I want to print that definition of impatience and post it in our home. I am impatient when my sewing time is interrupted or when I have to cook. When do I show patience? Hmmm, I think when our youngest is fighting sleep and needs more lap time than normal. I take the cue to slow the evening down and sit.
All too often I find it difficult to remember that the Lord’s timetable is different then ours. My Patience is OFTEN tried as I try so hard to remember that He knows what is best and He knows where I am going.
I have greater understanding NOW then I ever did before of this.
Thank you for sharing this today. I needed it!
And thank you for the wrap skirt tutorial; I think it will be my girls Easter skirt for many years to come!
I actually recently wrote a whole post dedicated to this talk. It was very much needed at a time in my life. I loved this talk. Feel free to read my post – it doesn’t say much, but it might give you other ideas. Good luck!
http://paulandlisathomas.blogspot.com/2010/09/blog-post-500.html
I loved that talk and blogged about it too a while back. I am definitely needing to practice patience right now (and probably for a LONG time) wanting to find a great man and have a celestial marriage and be better able to take care of my children. I am waiting for my marshmallow!!
I’m sure you will do great with your lesson.
Thanks for this great reminder on patience! I will never forget one day I went shopping with my sister-in-law, and she didn’t have children at the time so she took my son (who was about 3) in the cart with her while I took my baby girl. I overheard her telling him at one point that he needed to be patient, and he said, “Aunt Robin, what does patient mean?” She said, “Well, it means to be happy while you’re waiting for something.” I love that definition!
I was just reading the scriptures the other day and there was a scripture that talked about how a people who were in bondage were helped by Heavenly Father because they were patient in their afflictions. Not because they prayed their little hearts out (though I’m sure they did pray for help) but because they were patient. A good lesson for all of us!
It’s easy for me to have patience with my kids- I know they’re little squirts that don’t know much. I start to lose my patience when my husband comes home and acts like a little kid! (“Where are my socks? What’s for dinner? The baby needs to eat, but I don’t know what to feed her.”) *SIGH* Working on it!!!
So how did your lesson go? Our lesson was on a different talk he gave. Don’t you just love all of our general authorities? What would we do without them?