Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself. ~ St. Francis de Sales

Learning to "patiently" wait is one of the toughest things to do at least for me. Waiting is one thing. I can wait in a variety of different ways. I can wait anxiously, nervously, angrily, or hungrily. When I wait for anything, I may be tapping my foot, pacing the floor, or more likely checking and rechecking my email and Facebook. I am either in angst or complete boredom.

Patience is a virtue, one that I have “patiently” been trying to learn but yet to possess in its entirety. Known to some as a JAP (Jewish American Princess), I'm someone who, like most, prefers instant gratification. In today’s world, most everything we want seems to be just a mouse click away. We can chat with someone immediately in a variety of ways. We can IM, text, email, and call almost whoever we want, whenever we want. In most cases, we receive an immediate reply.

My impatience reaches so many aspects of my life. I find myself getting easily discouraged and sometimes even angry when things aren't moving as quickly as I think that they should.

I desperately try to rely on my faith, knowing things happen in God’s time and not mine. I try so hard to “Let Go and Let God”. In some cases, God's really trying to make this clear to me. I know this because He’s extending the wait time on that specific area of my life and it's making me absolutely crazy .He's forcing me to learn to patiently wait upon Him. That means no foot tapping, pacing, or checking and rechecking my email and Facebook while I'm waiting for God to act.

Then there are the times that, when things finally do occur, it is not at all what I wanted or hoped for. I think "He might as well just ask me to change everything that I am!" And then an “A-Ha” moment occurs and I realize that is exactly what God is doing. He is building my character, teaching me to wait patiently so that He can renew my strength. I haven't quite got the hang of it yet, but I'm trying. I know that being patient with God will inevitably lead me to being patient with myself, others and the world around me.

Now I need to work on acceptance. For those times when the result finally arrives but it is not the one I was hoping for. Trying to accept that it's not about having what you want, but wanting what you have.