I’ve made the “mistake” of praying for patience a few times over the past couple of decades.

You see… I’m not a very patient person. And I don’t wait well. I worry, and over-analyze. And try to plan for the unknown. I imagine every possible scenario and make plans for all of those scenarios. I spend hours thinking about what could be, and what I might do ten years from now, or five years from now, or ten days from now.

I’m a “fixer” and a “planner”. An “organizer” and I also consider myself a person of strong faith.

But when you pray for patience, and peace… you know what happens?

God gives you something to be patient about.

He puts you into a situation where the only choice you have is to wait. To be still. To study and grow closer to the Lord through scripture.

About 12 years ago I met a wonderful man. A man who told me he looked forward to having a family some day, and being involved in the church. He knew that his schooling was going to take time and lots of hard work, and did not keep that a secret from me. In getting to know him I learned that it was going to take great amounts of patience, and resolve, to some day be the woman by his side. So I prayed. I prayed for patience. For the patience to wait (if this was the path that I was supposed to be on one day).

What seemed like decades later (but in reality was only 4 long years) that wonderful man proposed to me.

And you know what? I started to plan. (Do you see where this is going?)

There were two major flaws with all of my plans (and probably lots of little ones, but I’ll cover the major ones for now):

One, I chose to marry a man who sees no point in making plans. He’s a man of faith, but not one to be very vocal about it. He has faith that if he does his best to provide for, and protect his family, that things will work out for the best. So he sees no point in making specific long-term plans, or talking about the “what ifs”, or even dreaming about things that might happen years down the road. And some days it drives me crazy!

The second flaw with my plan goes back to that little mistake I mentioned earlier…

I prayed for patience.

And so, ever since that day, when I recall so clearly praying for patience… I’ve faced situation, after situation, where I’m required to put patience into practice. And I’ve found that I can be patient, but it takes work. It’s not an easy thing. Being strong, and having “faith” is a very trying thing.

So on days when I struggle, it’s important for me to remind myself that God gave me a buddy for this journey to “achieving” patience. He gave me a loving husband who is completely contented to wait. To enjoy the time of today and the blessings he has. He sets an example for me every day… if only I take the time to notice and be grateful.