Sometimes the answers to our questions don’t come fast enough. Often we’re left troubled and confused. The “quick fix” we want fails to appear. The only certainty is that there are always more questions than there are answers…at least in the short term.
Given time, the answers will come. If the answers fail to eventuate then perhaps the questions lacked the significance apportioned to them in the urgency of the moment they were formulated.
Most things have a way of working out…not everything but most things. Balance, understanding and peace are not instantaneous.
The trick is to have patience. The solution is to do whatever is possible at the time and then wait.
More than a fair share of mental anguish results from a lack of patience. We put ourselves under unreasonable pressure…to impress…to progress…to succeed. Ambition is a good thing but not when it translates into obsessive behaviour as it often does. A lack of patience can result in self-destruction. It can become toxic. What we want can be a long way distant from what we get and when we get it. Failure to accept that helps reinforce the truth that we are our own worst enemies.
Patience is an important quality in worthwhile relationships. That’s where it becomes coupled with acceptance. Both lead to value and longevity. But acknowledging and accepting the shortcomings of another individual is more than difficult for a person who fails to acknowledge and accept their own shortcomings. A long, hard look in the mirror is advisable before we look at anyone else.
One of the most significant investments we can make is time…the time to know ourselves and the time to know those around us. Make time to take time. The pathway to making that investment is patience.
Gary Bentley Counselling 