For Ye Have Need of PATIENCE!

STOMP STOMP STOMP! I made sure my companion could hear my footsteps as I made my way to the door of the cultural center at the church. I was ready to go, but wasn't patient enough to wait for her to finish gathering her belongings and catch up with me. I sighed loudly, and emphatically pushed the door open, making a loud clanging sound, and stomped into the hallway, as my companion finally caught up with me and followed me down the hallway.  
This isn't the first time something like this has happened. I remember how impatient I was with my companion at the MTC. I had to stretch myself to be patient with this wonderful young sister when she woke up late, etc. Now I'm the one being impatient again, and my current companion is so patient and loving with me as I struggle through some health issues I face. What right have I to be impatient with her?

The apostle Paul wrote, "for ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise" (Hebrews 10:36). I think he's trying to tell me something. I often find myself anxiously awaiting the next exciting thing to happen in my life. When I'm at home, I can't wait to get back to BYU-Idaho, but when I'm at school, I can't wait for the semester to be over so I can go home. Christmas is too far away! When will it be summer? How much longer is this road trip? Why won't this webpage load? When will that boy call me? When will Friday get here? Will this class ever end? Yep, that's me, all the time, 24/7. One thing that I find myself saying often is, "When will this trial ever be over?" In Romans, Paul tells us, "We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope" (Romans 5:3-4). So, what you're telling me is that if I am patient through my trials, I will gain experience, and this experience will give me hope? I guess I can believe that! And why do I have these trying times? Why do I have to endure such horrible trials? Well, James put it this way: "The trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." After this, he tells us that if we lack wisdom, we must ask of God (James 1:3-4).

How do I get over this impatience? (Here's where the irony comes in: "When will I ever be patient?!"). Paul continues, "For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith." Faith? Oh, I have plenty of that! But I still have a hard time waiting! I think the first step in becoming patient is found in Mosiah chapter 3, verse 19. It talks about how the natural man is an enemy to God. If you think about it, the natural man is abhorrent; the natural man lies, lusts, errs, hurts, ills, and dies. But, if we "yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ," then we can find those virtues that come with putting off the natural man, one of which is becoming patient. First, we must become as a little child. I don't know about you, but I wasn't a patient child, but King Benjamin seems to think that children are patient. I know, he was talking about the innocent nature of children. Anyways, it all comes back to humility. We can't be patient unless we're humble. That's the bottom line. Humility brings patience.
I won't pretend that I'm patient. In fact, the stomping episode I mentioned at the beginning of this article, it happened just an hour ago. We're all imperfect, and we all make mistakes. We won't all be patient at all times, but we can sure try. At the end of it all, all that matters is how hard we tried. Be humble. Be patient.