Patience

There is an old saying, “Patience is a virtue.” I have found this to be a very true statement and one that is valuable to remember on a continual basis. In our world today, we aren’t used to waiting. Things move quickly, sometimes almost instantaneously. Our food can be microwaved, our entertainment is on-demand, and our mobile devices can access almost any answer we feel the need to find in mere seconds after we feel the need to find it. Two-day shipping is no longer good enough – we’ve moved to overnight or even same-day. Our society says, “I want it and I want it now.”

The reality is that although technology has greatly increased the pace at which we live life, there are still certain things that take an investment of time. For example, if I want to learn to play the piano, it’s a process. I will not take a lesson in the morning and be playing Mozart before lunch. If I have a burning desire to play the piano and I have set it as a goal, I need to be realistic about the type of time investment that will be required to get the result I want. When I set out on the journey, I must realize that I may have setbacks. Perhaps I will struggle with a certain technique, and I will need to put in extra hours, days, or weeks to work through my challenges. I must remember—in this scenario and in countless others—I need to have patience both with myself and with the process.

Here is what I observe about others and myself: we frequently give up on our dreams for no other reason than a lack of patience.

Now, playing the piano is a simple illustration, but the need for patience really applies to everything valuable in life. Here are 3 things that I believe to be true:

1. It takes time to change.
2. It takes time to grow.
3. It takes time to develop wisdom.

If there were a pill that we could take that would give us great wisdom, we would probably all take it. If there were a download that we could install in our brain to give us the positive kind of change that we are pursuing, we would probably accept it. If there were an oil or a smoothie or a video or a device or a meme that would make us instantaneously grow into the people we are meant to become, we would all certainly do whatever it took to get it.

Those things do not exist. What we need in order to achieve change and growth and wisdom is time.

So, if your dream requires change or growth or wisdom (which all worthwhile dreams are certain to require), then I suggest that you deliberately choose to be patient with yourself and with the process. Celebrate the setbacks and challenges and the time it takes to overcome them. That time invested is taking you ever closer to your dream.

Author: Skip Ross

Skip Ross was the owner, founder, and director of Circle A Ranch. He and his wife Susan dedicated their lives to making a difference in the development of teens through their ministry and spent over 40 years giving their summers to the work of Circle A. Skip authored the books Say Yes to Your Potential and Daily Disciplines and created the Dynamic Living Seminar and the Thrive Study Series. He traveled the globe teaching the principles of attitude development and leadership to millions of people for over 50 years. He also recorded numerous audio and video teachings that have been distributed around the world with the help of Network 21 and podcasts. He was a successful business executive, recording artist, and motivational speaker. He was founder and president of the OFIDA Project, on the Board of Directors of the Fred L. Hansen Corp., a Crown IBO with Amway, and a graduate of Westmont College and Fuller Theological Seminary. He worked with many different ministry organizations over the years but has most recently been working with the Equip Organization, founded by John Maxwell, to produce highly effective Christian leaders around the world. Skip Ross went home to be with Jesus on June 13th, 2021, at the age of 82.

This excerpt was taken from Skip’s book, Daily Disciplines.