Patience has never really been a virtue that I possessed. I try. Really I do. Sometimes it seems the harder I try to be patient, the more I feel like I am going to explode. I bite my tongue a lot, and I usually don't say things without thinking. My attitude however is usually the tell-tale sign of my impatience.
One day while sitting in the drive-thru line at McDonalds, I realized my impatient attitude had been observed and imitated. "Hurry up car, move out of the way!" These are the words I heard coming from the back seat. At 4 years old, Nathan had learned how to be impatient. Granted, most children are impatient all on their own. But from the sinking feeling in my stomach, I had a feeling that he had heard those exact words come out of my mouth. Of course I would have never said that within ear shot of the person ahead of me. What I didn't realize was that little ears were listening in the back seat learning how to voice an impatient attitude.
There it was again. The knowledge that everything I say and do is setting an example for my kids. Oh the pressure! Sometimes it's only when we see them doing the same things we do, that we realize the need for change. Thankfully patience isn't something that is completely out of reach. Galatians 5:22 tells us that patience is one of the fruits of the spirit. Since this is the case, we can all experience patience. Some of us may just have to cultivate it more through prayer, studying scripture and sheer experience knowing that "the trying of our faith produces patience." James 1:3
However we learn it, patience is something we all need, especially while sitting in the McDonald's drive-thru!
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