Patience

“Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience."

"Waiting... it's a gift." -Tito Dino

"God's delays are not God's denials." -Anonymous

"I'm not a naturally patient person. In fact, I'm extremely impatient. But it's definitely something I'm working on, and I'm absolutely sure it'll pay off in some way, shape or form, for everything that I do in future. There are so many things that I wish I wanted right now. But maybe God doesn't want to give them to me now because He feels like I'm not ready for those blessings. And perhaps He wants me to wait so that I can appreciate them to the fullest after waiting for so long. So for now, here I am, waiting." -Alyssa Belle Zaporteza

"God has a vision for all of us, we many not know what it is, but can anyone see the results of the masterpiece before the artist?" -Ariel Bejer

"God works in such mysterious, wonderous ways. You will realize His plans for you when the time is right." -Gerry Pagal

"Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew." -St. Francis de Sales

"Standing in line can be intensely aggravating. Whether it be waiting at the border or simply waiting in a line at the bank, standing in line can be pretty difficult. Usually, I meet this challenge with my ipod, a few songs, a podcast or a game or two.

But today was different. Instead, I chose not to go with my Ipod. I chose to wait and to stand as silently. It was a weirdly interesting experience. In 15 minutes,

- I made faces at an infant.
- I helped direct an elderly lady to another line.
- I smile a young person that looked like he was having a bad day.

I don’t want to sound pretentious, but I felt a lot better by not hiding behind my headphones. I was able to interact with those around me and possibly make things better simply by choosing to wait, by choosing to stand and not succumb to a desire to be entertained. All of these graces were had simply by waiting.

Sometimes, waiting is forced upon us and it an be difficult, but when a choice is made to deliberately do whatever is required (ie: wait, stand in line etc), I find there is a grace to be had that increases patience a hundred fold. Instead of being in a rush, choose to wait, choose to be a patient, and turn something that is seemingly irritable into an act of kindness.

Patience then, isn’t merely a quality, it’s a choice.

A choice that requires and rewards ultimately with grace." -Richie Aldaba