The Power of Patience
PATIENCE TO LEARN:
A young man presented himself to the local expert on gems and said he wanted to become a gemologist. The expert brushed him off because he feared that the youth would not have the patience to learn.
The young man pleaded for a chance. Finally the expert consented and told the youth, "Be here tomorrow." The next morning the expert put a jade stone in the boy's hand and told him to hold it. The expert then went about his work, cutting, weighing, and setting gems. The boy sat quietly and waited.The following morning the expert again placed the jade stone in the youth's hand and told him to hold it. On the third, fourth, and fifth day the expert repeated the exercise and the instructions.On the sixth day the youth held the jade stone, but could no longer stand the silence. "Master," he asked, "when am I going to learn something?""You'll learn," the expert replied and went about his business.Several more days went by and the youth's frustration mounted. One morning as the expert approached and beckoned for him to hold out his hand, he was about to blurt out that he could go no longer. But as the master placed the stone in the youth's hand, the young man exclaimed without looking at his hand, "This is not the same jade stone!""You have begun to learn," said the master.____________ _________ _________ Brian Cavanaugh, T.O.R., The Sower's Seeds
"We do not learn in one night, learning requires patience, if we can keep patience then only we can be flourished with knowledge"
Patience is a Virtue
Patience may well be thought of as a gateway virtue, contributing to the growth and strength of its fellow virtues of forgiveness, tolerance, and faith.
“
The principle part of faith is patience”
How thankful I am for The Book of Mormon where insight into the relationship between patience and charity.
(
Moroni 7:44–45).
44 If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.
45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
First, "charity suffereth long." That is what patience is all about.
Charity "is not easily provoked" is another aspect of this quality,
as is charity "beareth all things." And finally,
charity "endureth all things" is certainly an expression of patience).
without these elements we would be seriously lacking in the Christlike character we so long desire for.
D&C 101:38 And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life.
Too often, the demands of life tempt us to be impatient. We want to do everything right, and we want to do everything. We may rush to accomplish our daily chores, run to take care of family responsibilities, even hurry to offer service.
But life is too valuable an experience to rush. Elder Neal A. Maxwell observed that “without patience, we will learn less in life. We will see less. We will feel less. We will hear less. Ironically, rush and more usually mean less” (“Patience,” Ensign, Oct. 1980, 29).
Perhaps even more serious,
impatience
—particularly impatience with adversity—may lead to spiritual weakness. The trials we endure give us experience and, depending on how we respond to them, can be for our ultimate good. Without patience in facing tribulation, however, we may fail to endure to the end.
In the Bible Job offers the classic portrait of patience. In the face of losing his vast empire, including his children, Job was able, because of his unfailing faith, to proclaim, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Through all of his tribulation and pain, "Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly" (Job 1:21–22).
How often do we hear people foolishly state, "How could God do this to me?" when really they should be praying for strength to "beareth" and "endureth all things." The greatest scriptural examples of patience are found in the life of Jesus Christ. His long-suffering and endurance are best demonstrated on that excruciating night in Gethsemane as He uttered, in His atoning agony, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). He truly suffered and bore and endured all things.
I believe patience is important and worthy of our pondering and pursuit.
While nailed to the cross on Calvary, Christ continued in His perfect example of patience as He uttered the singular words,
"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).
These examples of patience have greater meaning for us when we consider this scripture: "Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am" 3 Nephi 27:27
Dieter Uchtdorf: in May this year taught
"The more we are filled with the Spirit of God, the more we extend ourselves to others. We become peacemakers in our homes and families, we help our fellowmen everywhere, and we reach out in merciful acts of kindness, forgiveness, grace, and long-suffering patience."
I can understand when Joseph Smith stated, "
Patience is heavenly" (History of the Church, 6:427). How a mother's heart swells when her children exercise patience with each other and love abounds.
When Peter asked Christ how many times he should forgive his brother, Christ replied, Matthew 18:22 " Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seveny times seven"
Elder Neal A. Maxwell linked patience and faith together when he taught: "Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His" ("
Patience," Ensign, Oct. 1980, 28)
.
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.
Since impatience is so natural, how do we develop the divine virtue of patience? How do we move our behavior from that of the natural man to that of our patient, perfect example, Jesus Christ
The impatient, natural man is all about us. We see it manifest in news reports of parents, On our highways, incidents of road rage, result in violent accidents and sometimes fatalities.
First, we must understand that to do so is necessary, if we desire to fully enjoy the blessings of the restored gospel.
I know anthing that is has great value or means the world to me has come after much patience and waiting.
Such an understanding might motivate us to:
And overcoming the natural man and working to become more Christlike in our patience is a most appropriate objective. I pray that we will pursue this path with diligence and dedication.If we ask ourselves if we can do it to draw closer to our savior we definately find motivation.
"Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (
James 1:19).
