Finding Grace In Myself While Practicing Patience

These last couple days I have been praying for earnest guidance in areas of my life I want to work on.

I have been trying to not get upset when my children don’t listen. I have been trying to listen more and be more understanding of everyone.

I am now trying to pray for more genuine patience.

After some experiences today, I have come to realize that patience is something that I would really like to work on more AND have grace for myself. 

I think if I had more patience in myself and others than I don’t think I would get upset at some of the things I do.

It was interesting for me to notice my thoughts in all this.

In my prayers for food, driving, with my family, and individual prayers I brought up how I want to create better thoughts around patience. How can I enlighten myself with understanding the practice of patience?

Recognizing Where I Am Impatient

I want to acknowledge where I felt impatient and think about why I am having that feeling. Like I said before, I found it interesting that I would get impatient over some things that weren’t a big deal at all.

I had an experience with my children this evening for dinner where I recognized some thoughts on my patience. 

I had some dinner I was preparing in the oven and my kids came over to tell me they were hungry right then. I told them the food wasn’t ready yet and we could play while we waited.

They both said how hungry they were and I said, “Ok. The food isn’t ready yet but you can have some leftovers from last night. Would you be ok with that?”

They both said yes and were eager to start eating while I was heating it up in the microwave.

I told them while they were eating their dinner I would catch up on some emails. 

While they were eating their dinner I was sitting next to them watching them eat and preparing an email.

Comparing my husband and I to our kids; when Dom and I are hungry, our plate is clean within five minutes. 

I was working on an email that I was sending out for thirty minutes and my kids had not yet finished their food. They were at the counter taking small bites here and there while playing games with each other.

I remember sitting there feeling anxious that they weren’t done yet because of them playing while eating. 

I didn’t say anything to them but I noticed myself getting impatient in my thoughts about how slow they were eating. 

Allowing Discomfort of Patience

That’s when I sat there and let the feeling of my lack of patience go through my body. 

I noticed how I wanted to move onto the next phase of our night with Dom and I having dinner, cleaning up, playing, reading books, and the rest of the nightly routine. 

I could feel the spirit and calm thoughts impress upon my mind to let my kids take their time. 

I started to feel some understanding and compassion for them. 

Questioning My Thoughts

They wanted to talk and have fun while enjoying their food. 

I thought…maybe, they don’t really care about the taste, they just want something to fill them up to play some more.

I thought…maybe they don’t like it, so they are going slow.

I thought…maybe it’s not a big deal that they take thirty minutes to finish a meal. (They didn’t finish it by the way)

I then started to look at them talking, laughing, and playing thinking that they are just having fun. That food in front of them is just food. I’m grateful they have each other to entertain each other and have enough food to eat when they are hungry. 

While having scripture study with them this evening, I shared how I want to work on being more patient with them and with myself. 

I expressed that when I eat, I like to get it done and out of the way. I know for them, it’s not about the food, but the entertainment they are providing each other. It’s ok!

I then shared with them that I am working on patience because I want to have more understanding thoughts about the way their brains operate and the way they eat. 

I also want to be more graceful with them. I want to cultivate more patience because I believe the Savior responds with love and is temperate in all things.

I want to respond with more love and understanding when I could be finding reasons that are not necessary to be impatient. 

What’s Really Important, Here?

I learned that some things that I can be impatient about are really not important or serving me at all. 

I want to find grace in myself that I am trying to be more patient in more areas of my life like, in the way my kids eat, play, or how we get things done in the home. 

I want to recognize that we all do things differently, but I want to show up with more understanding and kindness. 

I am so grateful for the prayers I have had in my thoughts and heart on having more patience with my family and with my habits of thinking on the ways things “should” be. 

My whole goal is to practice patience and be graceful with myself. I’m not always going to be perfect at it, but I hope to recognize and question areas that I feel like I am impatient in.

I desire to have more patience to become more open to others’ way of thinking and doing things. I desire to have more patience to love others because of what they think or do.

I desire to have more patience because my Father in Heaven is so graciously patient with my shortcomings. 

I desire to grow in patience and be graceful with myself through the process. It takes patience to be more and more patient. 🙂

Luke 21:19

19. In your patience possess ye your souls.