Patience

I often recall a saying that my wife would annunciate. “Patience is a virtue, catch it if you can. Often held by women, but seldom held by men.”

At this time in our society, there seems to be an ever-increasing feeling of impatience. Everywhere I go and most everywhere I look, there seem to be challenges that test my patience.

I often pray as part of my night prayer, the Ignatian Consciousness Examen prayer. I review my day for missed opportunities of grace for and challenges to my patience. A question that stirs within me is – ‘What invades my spirit, mind and heart that tries to aggravate me and cause me to be less patient?’

I do not live a dull, boring life. In my life there is constant activity, and this activity sometimes includes challenges to my patience. My challenges arise when I am misunderstood, being taken advantage of or judged. I sometimes notice that I get impatient with myself. Often these instances reveal to me the faulty decisions that I have made. It is too easy to get trapped in an emotional pit.

I try to bring these challenges to the heart of God. Often, I must face my human frailty and then open discussions with those with whom I am in conflict. The heart of God has many faces and is often present in someone close to me. I have learned through sacred scripture that the heart is a place of wisdom and understanding. To enter into this space, I have to be willing to be vulnerable and open. I need to open myself to discover the real me – my true self. It seems to me that this invitation is one that involves a compassionate heart, compassion for me and those around me.

A compassionate heart is one that is willing to “journey with”, even when there is a suffering or loss involved. The suffering is sometimes giving up my way. This journey is one of surrender and often takes me to pray the “Welcoming Prayer”. A verse in this prayer states – “I welcome everything that comes to me in this moment, because I know it is for my healing.” I must let go of who I thought I was and open myself to the transforming presence of the Holy Spirit. This I take to quiet reflection and meditation.

How do you face the challenges to be more patient in your life?