P for Patience

6:29:00 PM

A little boy once in a department store was standing at the end of an escalator. He kept watching the railing as it went around. A salesman came and asked, “Son, are you lost?” And he said, “No, I’m just waiting for my chewing gum to come back.”

What comes to your mind when you hear the word, ‘wait’? Not many like to hear that word and yet without waiting we don’t receive some of the best things in life. It took me seven years to have a successful dental practice. It took us six long years as a married couple to have our son.

We live today in an instant world. We want everything now. When we don’t get something immediately; we end up becoming angry.

P- Patience

Patience is a key virtue when it comes to relationships. Without being patient with people, we can end up becoming very angry.

In his book “A Love worth Giving”, Max Lucado describes patience well, “The Greek word used for patience is a descriptive one. It figuratively means “taking a long time to boil.” Think about a pot of boiling water. What factors determine the speed at which it boils? The size of the stove? No. The pot? The utensil may have an influence, but the primary factor is the intensity of the flame. Water boils quickly when the flame is high. It boils slowly when the flame is low. Patience “keeps the burner down.” Patience isn't naive. It doesn't ignore misbehaviour. It just keeps the flame low. It waits. It listens. It’s slow to boil.”

In other words, patience is slow anger. We take a longer time to get angry with those we love, simply because we are willing to be patient with them. If we are to be successful in our relationships with people, we need to be patient. If we are to be successful in parenting with our children, we need to be patient.

The root of impatience is anger. Anger is a relationship killer. Uncontrolled anger leaves behind feelings of hurt, resentment and bitterness. I've known people who have destroyed expensive equipment (mobiles, laptops and even an electric guitar!) simply because they were angry!





Take Away Principle: Patience is slow anger. When we are willing to be patient in our relationships, it takes a longer time to get angry with them.

Tips on being patient:
1.      Be willing to wait. Remember waiting produces the best results! The longer time you take to marinate a chicken dish, the better it tastes.
2.      When you do get angry, follow the 3 steps I always do:
a.       Don’t React
b.      Don’t React
c.       Don’t React
3.      Take time to reflect.

4.      Relate to people who are patient. 

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10 comments

  1. Patience !! Something that we all need, something that many of us don't have, and something that the rest of us forget that we have :) Loved the statement that Patience is slow anger. Being patient is not easy ; takes a lot of will power, but it is paying , nevertheless. And the three principles of 'not reacting' is something that I need to imbibe urgently :)

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  2. In Gujarati we have a saying .. dheeraj na phal meetha - the fruits of patience are sweet. Hard one to practice though. I love your tip #2.

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  3. Ha ha - I like your second advice... ! I could do with some more patience I think, so will adapt some of those advises:-) Love the story with the boy and the gum in the elevator:-) Great choice for P, Danny:-)

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  4. I like Max Lucado's books. When my husband was in a car accident and suffered brain damage I learned patience. It took 20 years to get back to almost normal. Like you, we waited 14 years to have our first baby. The Bible says Patience is a virtue but it also says that tribulation brings patience

    Carol @ Battered Hope

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  5. That was a fab post once again, Danny. In this fast paced world, we are usually low on patience. I read this in a cartoon strip, where the character said, 'God, give me patience. But give it to me NOW!!" :D

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  6. Thankfully I am a very patient person. And you are right, the root cause is anger. I am not a very aggressive person as well. What gives me away sometimes is anxiety. We all have atleast one flaw, don't we?

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  7. Lovely post!
    When you get angry at someone for doing something wrong, slowly count upto 10 ... of the times that you yourself did something wrong!

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  8. There is no inner fire which is more dangerous than anger, there is no inner jewel which is more beautiful than patience.

    www.bellofpeace gede prama org

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  9. There is no inner fire which is more dangerous than anger, there is no inner jewel which is more beautiful than patience.

    www.bellofpeace gede prama org

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