Patience is brilliance in action. In my own experience, I have found myself to be patient in some areas but not in others. For example, I am patient when dealing with most people, but irritable and anxious at fast food drive-thru’s. Talk about a contradiction in terms, “fast food?” We have been trained to expect an immediate remedy and satisfaction but when the process breaks down and order accuracy fails, my self control is put to the test.
Automated phone systems also try my patience. These company’s, should just inform the caller in a wonderfully, graceful prerecorded voice, “We really do not wish to speak with you concerning your issue. Please continue to respond by pushing random numbers in our multi-tiered navigation menu. If you are patient and wait long enough, a representative will eventually speak with you, unless this call is lost due to no fault of our own. Thank you and have a nice day.”
Philosopher John Dewey said, “Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can, seldom found in woman, never found in man.” Patience involves waiting and waiting we do not like. Life requires both waiting and patience, so I must learn to wait gracefully and stay in line at the drive-thru.
“Love is patient…” 1st Cor. 13:4