Patience – Faith Applied

What is patience? Here’s what the dictionary says, “The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset”. And what gives us the ability to be patient? Having faith and trust that everything is always in divine order and the outcome has already been decided. Faith gives us the ability to let go of control and to go with the flow.

So why do I especially have a tough time being patient in traffic? That is my number one place to feel impatient! I catch myself trying to row everyone else’s boat. Why can’t I just row my own and let them row their’s? That’s a decision I have to consciously make every single time and I still find myself getting upset. I know that part of it is that I see cars and trucks, which are just objects, and not the people driving them. If I can just focus on the people and realize that they are just doing their best to get where they want to go, I know I can do better. I think, for me, that if I just see the objects, I have an excuse to be upset and even angry with them. I mean, come on, I want to be patient with people, so objects are fair game for my projections and anger, right? Not so much. Those projections just cause me more angst and rob me of my peace.

So, I choose to see the people and not the objects. How about if I choose to believe that all of the people around me really do need to get where they are going way more than I do? How about if I be as courteous as possible and allow others as much space as they need to get there? How about if I even send loving thoughts to all the people around me and show them the courtesy that I would like shown to me? And wow, if I do this in every part of my life, what an amazing way to live!

I’m going to do my best to take my own advice, right now! Have a beautiful day!