All You Need Is Patience!

Saying goes, "patience is a virtue". Like everyone in the world, I have a problem with being patient. It seems to be one of the hardest things to do! As a child, you can't wait to get older, you can't wait to drive, can't wait to turn 18, can't wait to graduate, can't wait to move out, can't wait to turn 21....etc. As an adult, not having this quality can turn into STRESS! That's all it is. You can't wait to get a good job, can't wait to get a promotion, can't wait to get married, can't wait to have kids, can't wait for your kids to get out of your house, can't wait on the LORD.....etc. Right now, I am trying to activate this quality in my life. I know that God has something Awesome planned for my life, it's just up to me to be patient and wait on Him. For the first time in a long time, I am actually Excited about the future! I know that God is going to blessed me with an AMAZING man. I know that God is going to bless me with healthy, beautiful kids. I know that God is going to bless my mortuary (Exquisite Family Mortuary) and bless me with a successful business. God , "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" Ephesians 3:20. 

The following is an article related to the subject that I found interesting. Hope you enjoy as well!

:-)~Ms. Ray

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Developing Patience

by Sue Annabrooke Jones

     This article appeared in the December, 2004-January, 2005 issue of The Isis Scrolls.

      As we human beings adjust to the ever-increasing speed of modern life, we often lose our patience, and in ways that would have been unimaginable even a few short decades ago. We sigh when forced to wait at ATMs, curse our computers for being so slow and honk our horns at slowpokes in traffic. Timeliness certainly has its rightful place in the scheme of things, but it's sheer folly to demand that everyone and everything around us move at the pace we dictate. Most of us could learn to be a little more patient.

      The good news is that patience is a mental skill, one that can be practiced and eventually mastered, even by the most impatient person.

      Usually we hear about exercising patience as it pertains to something else, like raising children or starting a business. The idea of cultivating patience for its own sake gets little attention, but there are some strong, compelling reasons for doing so. Impatience makes us lose our perspective, which hinders our power to create what we want and makes us vulnerable to attracting more of what we don't want. And losing patience constitutes a misuse of spiritual power.

      Think about it: most of us wouldn't even dream of handing over our innate power, for example, to think for ourselves to some religious authority or fascist dictator; yet daily we give away our power to remain calm and centered to things like long lines at the supermarket and inept sales transactions. If genius, as Michelangelo once asserted, is eternal patience, then surely we are all spiritual nincompoops at times.

      Impatience also takes it toll on our bodies, because it generates stress, which elevates blood pressure and wreaks havoc with the body's internal organs and immune system. Lack of patience harms the social side of life too: it strains relationships, causes discord in group situations and sets a bad example. And impatience often produces haste which, we are told, makes waste.

      Patience, on the other hand, empowers us at all levels. Cultivating it requires the desire to change and a good strategy, as well as discernment and persistence. When you find yourself on the verge of losing patience, try one or more of the following techniques.

      - Get real. Adjust your perceptions to the reality of the situation at hand. Don't work yourself into a lather over nothing.

      - Resist the temptation to emulate the demanding behaviors of impatient friends, relatives and coworkers. This is an easy trap to fall into, hold your ground.

      - Look within to understand why you react impatiently to certain situations. Dig deeply if necessary, because appearances can be deceptive. Impatience may flow from some other dynamic, like inflexibility, lack of empathy, the need to control people and situations, chronic naivete about how long it takes to get things done or an unchallenged attitude learned early on in life. Once you've discovered the cause, identify the interior and exterior factors involved, then mentally weigh each one to distinguish what's truly important from what's not. Determine where your attachment lies, then devise a plan for wresting yourself from its grip.
 - Practice restraint. Stop and consider the harm you might inflict by acting or speaking impulsively toward someone who moves through life at a difference pace. Then mentally list the immediate and long-term benefits of holding back.

      - Talk to yourself. Remind yourself how important tolerance and respect are. Ask yourself, "Who appointed you Czar of the Universe?" Or say things like, "This too is part of Divine Order" and "Accept a little more, agonize a little less." Continue your line of self-speak until you are feeling calm and peaceful again.

      - Of course, you'll need to tailor your interior dialog to fit the situation. For example, if you find yourself losing patience with a child, remind yourself how long it took you to learn something as a child. If it's an adult you're being impatient with, ask yourself: "Which is better, trying to hurry others to get in step with you or making them feel accepted, supported and appreciated?" Feeding your mind with the appropriate self-talk for the occasion can go a long way toward mastering patience.

      - Use creative visualization to re-frame situations that try your patience. For example, you can playfully visualize an entirely different perspective, one grounded in perfect patience, even if it seems out of character for you. Mentally rework and refine this scenario to a new model, one that is the most satisfying and beneficial for all concerned. Hold onto this ideal and revisit it whenever you find yourself becoming impatient.

      - Write notes to yourself, reminding yourself to be more patient, and post them in conspicuous places. If you're at a loss for words, consider one of the following quotations:

      "Patience and fortitude conquer all things." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

      "If you are patient in a moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow." — Chinese Proverb

      "The strongest of all warriors are these two: time and patience." — Leo Tolstoy

      "He that can have patience can have what he will." — Benjamin Franklin

      "The reward of patience is patience." — St. Augustine.

      - Meditate on patience. That last quotation above has profound occult significance and is worthy seed for meditation.

      - Affirm patience daily. "I enjoy living in the power and peace of patience" is a good affirmation. So is "I choose to live in harmony with the greater rhythm of life."

      - Lastly, but very importantly, reinforce your spiritual approach to cultivating patience with practical strategies like these: (1) If you're going out, allow yourself ample time to get to your destination. (2) Schedule trips to gasoline stations, libraries, etc. for times when they won't be crowded. (3) Identify those situations that try your patience, then prepare for them by bringing along some music or reading material. (4) Go for a walk. Physical exercise dissipates tension and restores mental poise. (5) Patience wears thin when blood sugar drops, so stay ahead of your hunger. (6) Get more sleep. Lack of sleep compromises your ability to deal effectively with trying situations.