Please have Patience

Those of you that know me well will probably not be surprised by the following statement. Patience is not a strength of mine. I attended a leadership training session at work on Wednesday where we focused on our strengths and identifying the strengths of those around us. It was clear to me during that session that patience is not one of my strengths.

The next morning, I was taking Audrey to school, already running late, got on the elevator, and the swipe card that I need to get up and down the elevators was not in my purse. I knew immediately that Billy had used it the previous day to walk the dogs and had not put it back. I lost my patience.

On the way to school, and person pulled out in front of me and then slowed down to almost a stop. I lost my patience. As I was sitting there staring at the tail lights, I was struck by the poor example I was setting for Audrey. Every day, we strive to teach her patience. We try to teach her to take turns, not chew with her mouth full, and wait patiently for us to cook dinner when she's hungry. Yet, when I am tested with similar little things, I fail to practice patience. How can I truly teach my child patience if I cannot practice what I preach?

Since then, I have been pondering that question and praying for guidance. The good news is that God listens. While driving to pick Audrey up yesterday evening, I was listening to the Christian station on the radio, and the DJ was talking about how Moses doubted his ability to do what God said he would, but he had to come to realize that God can do anything. That is when it struck me...it is not my role as a parent to teach my children to be perfect. Why should I think they will be perfect when no person can be? Instead, God has entrusted me with these children so I can teach them about God's love and help them find their own paths in God's plan. It is he who will bless them with gifts of the spirit, and when needed, he'll nurture those gifts through me. When Audrey was first born, I reminded myself of that often, but that had somehow started to slip from my focus. I thank God for his gentle reminder. I will still pray for patience, but I will also pray that my children will grow to be the people God wants them to be, whether or not that is the same as what I think they should be.