THE NUMBER YOU’RE TRYING TO REACH IS AVAIL+ABLE…

When they say patience, what do you understand?

Is it the image of you brushing off a single fact that a stranger just stepped on your white shoe on a public bus that pops up?

Is it your last name that comes into your mind just because your first name is "Patience"?

The Bible says in Galatians 5: 22 that patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, a very good proof that He resides in you. Today however, my darling reader, we are going to talk about patience as a form of relaxation and not giving in to pressure, keeping in mind that all things take their significant time to come to life. We will also tackle a bit on patience as a form of forgiveness: forgiving yourself and forgiving others. Let's just touch these two now!

I read a quote somewhere that said "Patience is not simply waiting, it's the attitude you have when you have to wait" This rang numerous bells in my mind and the last of those bells was rung by a friend yesterday who talked about how much people especially youth get crazy when they see their age mates getting married, getting good jobs, buying cars, going abroad to study and so on, because it makes them think that their peers made it in their lives while they lag like tails. This one is a very serious problem that touches both the mental and emotional parts of people because no one likes to even think that their life is on hold, compared to their peers! As a result, a given young man or woman may end up in fraud, scamming, or worse, depression!

Speaking from a personal experience, I once was on the verge of being depressed because I wondered how some people who weren't even more intelligent than me flew abroad for their undergraduate or master's degree studies. To me, it was like their life was all about colors and spices while mine was about clouds and demons. However, I didn't know what they went through when they applied and a little courage that they had, which I didn't, to keep applying even after numerous rejections. 

Now back to the patience I was talking about, allow me to use this analogy. In the village, when we want bananas, we take green plantains and cover them with dry grasses and blankets so that they may get ripe. I couldn't wish even my worst enemy to eat an unripe avocado, banana or any other fruit because they taste awful. What is patience then? It is "covering yourself with dry grasses and blankets until you ripen" in other words, it is building various skills and trusting the process. It is trying your best to not give in to pressure, knowing that your time will come, as there's time for everything. An elephant takes a whole year to give birth while a rabbit takes 5 months. 

Again, patience comes with forgiving yourself and others along the way. Forgiving yourself where you didn't do better because you didn't know better. Forgiving others who are still struggling with things you overcame. 

May we all keep practicing this virtue of patience, and may we carry patience in our bags and wallets, I mean, everywhere we go. Thank you for reading up here, my darling reader. Until we meet again, may God's grace rest upon you.