I gave up on patience in my 20s, decided it was a virtue I simply didn't possess, but then discovered later that some of the trials and difficulties I went through since that time taught it to me anyway. I'm still not patient in general, but I can be extremely patient with kids in particular, and I almost never get upset with anybody at all because of impatience. It may not be perfect, but it's progress, so I'll take it. I think the one thing I've really learned to be patient about is my own progress as a disciple of Christ; I'm not where I want to be but I'm never going to get there all at once. A good step forward is worthy and worthwhile; worry about the next step when you get there. Trying to climb too many rungs at once is a quick ticket back to the bottom.
No one ImportantMarch 24, 2014
"I believe that there is a particular patience developed from making it to the other side of a tribulation. Learning about your own capacity for endurance and realizing how things eventually pass prepares you to bear the next trial with more clarity and less hopelessness." This passage reminds me of Silentio's reflections in "Fear and Trembling," wherein he finds Abraham's trial poetically beautiful--but therein misses the point Kierkegaard seems to be making through his ironic interlocution.
What if a tribulation has no "other side"? What if it is a life sentence (or more accurately put, a death sentence)? In short, what is to be learned from suffering that doesn't "eventually pass"?
I've heard you voice these same thoughts, in different words, for years now. As if repeating them will make them true. And maybe you're right. Then again, patience alone doesn't guarantee our hopes will be realized. And if they're not, then patience isn't a virtue; it's a delusion.
Now that I'm almost 60 I've realized Pascal was wrong. Wagering all on faith does have a cost: while you're being patient and waiting on the fruits of faith, life passes you by, never to return.
CatherineFebruary 13, 2014
Thank you for sharing this - it reads almost like a journal entry I might have made in my twenties. Now I'm in my fifties and still trying to figure out the faith/patience/humility/hope thing. I so enjoy reading your insights! You're a great writer. Keep up the good work.
JackieFebruary 10, 2014
You are very wise for being in your twenties! I have no doubt that the Lord has many great and wonderful blessings in store for you these coming years! Thanks for your insights on patience which is definitely something I continuosly am working on having.
Herman OFebruary 10, 2014
I always love peering into your mind and heart in your posts. If you're up for some Neal A. Maxwell, his talks "Patience" as well as "Grounded, Rooted, Established and Settled" have been life-changers for me in this category.
AndrewFebruary 10, 2014
Well put. I think sometimes the hope I hold onto is that God will ultimately in the end make all things right, reward all good deeds, erase all pain, and wipe all the tears from our eyes. Unrealized hopes, dreams, and life expectations may not mean a whole lot then. Until then, we do our best to count our blessings.
DavidFebruary 10, 2014
Well done, as usual. Could tell you a "patience/hope" story involving Israel that may be unparalleled. Not the usual one, but one that is obscure and unknown. The historical story of the Jews is the epitome of what you wrote about. Some future events among them are no less so.
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Renaissance NerdMarch 27, 2014
I gave up on patience in my 20s, decided it was a virtue I simply didn't possess, but then discovered later that some of the trials and difficulties I went through since that time taught it to me anyway. I'm still not patient in general, but I can be extremely patient with kids in particular, and I almost never get upset with anybody at all because of impatience. It may not be perfect, but it's progress, so I'll take it. I think the one thing I've really learned to be patient about is my own progress as a disciple of Christ; I'm not where I want to be but I'm never going to get there all at once. A good step forward is worthy and worthwhile; worry about the next step when you get there. Trying to climb too many rungs at once is a quick ticket back to the bottom.
No one ImportantMarch 24, 2014
"I believe that there is a particular patience developed from making it to the other side of a tribulation. Learning about your own capacity for endurance and realizing how things eventually pass prepares you to bear the next trial with more clarity and less hopelessness." This passage reminds me of Silentio's reflections in "Fear and Trembling," wherein he finds Abraham's trial poetically beautiful--but therein misses the point Kierkegaard seems to be making through his ironic interlocution. What if a tribulation has no "other side"? What if it is a life sentence (or more accurately put, a death sentence)? In short, what is to be learned from suffering that doesn't "eventually pass"? I've heard you voice these same thoughts, in different words, for years now. As if repeating them will make them true. And maybe you're right. Then again, patience alone doesn't guarantee our hopes will be realized. And if they're not, then patience isn't a virtue; it's a delusion. Now that I'm almost 60 I've realized Pascal was wrong. Wagering all on faith does have a cost: while you're being patient and waiting on the fruits of faith, life passes you by, never to return.
CatherineFebruary 13, 2014
Thank you for sharing this - it reads almost like a journal entry I might have made in my twenties. Now I'm in my fifties and still trying to figure out the faith/patience/humility/hope thing. I so enjoy reading your insights! You're a great writer. Keep up the good work.
JackieFebruary 10, 2014
You are very wise for being in your twenties! I have no doubt that the Lord has many great and wonderful blessings in store for you these coming years! Thanks for your insights on patience which is definitely something I continuosly am working on having.
Herman OFebruary 10, 2014
I always love peering into your mind and heart in your posts. If you're up for some Neal A. Maxwell, his talks "Patience" as well as "Grounded, Rooted, Established and Settled" have been life-changers for me in this category.
AndrewFebruary 10, 2014
Well put. I think sometimes the hope I hold onto is that God will ultimately in the end make all things right, reward all good deeds, erase all pain, and wipe all the tears from our eyes. Unrealized hopes, dreams, and life expectations may not mean a whole lot then. Until then, we do our best to count our blessings.
DavidFebruary 10, 2014
Well done, as usual. Could tell you a "patience/hope" story involving Israel that may be unparalleled. Not the usual one, but one that is obscure and unknown. The historical story of the Jews is the epitome of what you wrote about. Some future events among them are no less so.
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