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"Patience is not the ability to wait but how you act while you are waiting." This has resonated with me for a few years now. As most of you know, we are still waiting for our opportunity to be parents. At the beginning of our waiting period, I was easily jealous of those people who got children when they wanted them. I sincerely wanted to be happy for them, but my heart would ache so deeply that I really had to practice forgiveness and patience.
Time has helped and healed me of my jealous attitude. I busied myself with work and other distractions in hopes that those feelings would disappear. For a good while, they did. But recently, they have come back. They didn't return as they were. This time they are feelings of guilt and doubt. I know it's not completely true...but I can't help but think that if I could change this weakness or that weakness, the reward might be children. I have found that it makes it really difficult to see the eternal perspective when I'm overcome with daily guilt. It's something I'm working on.
When I came across this quote the other day, it brought me to the realization of what I'm supposed to be learning right now. I am proving to my Heavenly Father that I can wait. Yes, I have weaknesses that I need to over come and you know...He's given me the gift of time to get a handle on these things before the children come. What a sweet gift that is. For some reason, I have this waiting period to prove to Him that I can be happy with the blessings He has already given me. Honestly, I am grateful for that.
Life is so much sweeter when we focus on the blessings we already have. There are always going to be things in life that we want and pray for. If we have the "grass is greener" attitude, we are going to miss out on the blessings here and now.
I'm challenging myself this month to act with patience. Foremost, I'm going to start with practicing patience with myself. I'm not going to let the guilt, anxiety, worry, or imperfections get me down. I'm going to be diligent at working to overcome my weaknesses. I'm also going to practice patience with the people I work with on a daily basis: family members, co-workers, church callings, and the people of public transportation. They deserve my respect and positive attitude...and I want to give it to them.
>> In your experiences and trials, what have you learned from being patient?
PS Because I'm such a quote lover, I've teamed up with one of my very best friends, Dawnelle, to bring you a monthly printable. Together we want to build each other up and encourage positive thinking, motivation, and strength as women and mothers! Don't forget to check her out at JustDawnelle.com
Feel free to download and use as you would like! If you are going to share this with your friends, it would be awesome if you'd link back for credibility. Thank you!!
Thanks for this reminder. All of my trials have been patience testing so its apparent that's something I need to learn to do better.
ReplyDeleteMy Thomas today asked me, "Why it is so hard being patient?"
ReplyDeleteI love you sweet Caley, you are amazing! Don't change one single thing about yourself.
ReplyDeleteOh, patience....tell me about it!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of a printable quote - I am a sucker for a good quote! xxx
Thank you for posting the most inspiring things! I loved reading this post because I've been going through the same thing. I struggle with it all- how much I just want to be happy for everyone but can't help feeling jealous, and how I just look at all my faults and feel the guilt that I need to fix everything before I am worthy of the blessing of being a parent. It's hard. But when you first posted that quote, it really stuck with me and has helped me change a lot of my perspective. Thank you! And thank you for being someone I can truly look up to. You are amazing!
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