Patience - I Need to Get Some

My "older" Institute class has been studying the Living Prophets this semester. That means we take the most recent conference issue of the Ensign and study the modern day Prophets. We are using the April conference issue. I was a little skeptical because that conference just didn't strike my fancy. However, as I always seem to get humbled, I've been humbled by the wonderful words of our Living Prophets.

This last Thursday night at Institute we discussed a talk from the Priesthood session, given by Elder Uchtdorf. I never really pay attention to the Priesthood sessions, but this is one talk I am SO glad got brought to my attention. (Side note - another great talk from this conference was also from Elder Uchdorf given in the Young Women session, called Your Happily Ever After. SO, INCREDIBLE! That whole Young Women session was great.) The talk that we discussed is Continue in Patience. Apparently I need to get some patience, in all things. My teacher said this about patience, "Patience is being happy why you wait." Amen to that!

Continue in Patience

Favorite lines from his amazing talk:

~ The ability to wait--to be patient--is a key character trait that might predict later success in life.

~ Patience - the ability to put our desires on hold for a time--is a precious and rare virtue.

~ Without patience we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect.

~ Patience is a purifying process that refines understanding deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace.

~ Patience is far more than simply waiting for something to happen--patience requires actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results don't appear instantly or without effort.

~ Patience means active waiting and enduring. Staying with something and doing all that we can--working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed.

~ Patience is not simply enduring; is enduring well!

~ Never give up on anyone. And that includes not giving up on yourself.

~ Every one of us is called to wait in our own way. We wait for answers to prayers. We wait for things which at the time may appear so right and so good to us that we can't possibly imagine why Heavenly Father would delay the answer. God's promises are not always fulfilled as quickly as or in the way we might hope; they come according to His timing and in His ways.

~ We must learn that in the Lord's plan, our understanding comes "line upon line, precept upon precept." In short, knowledge and understanding come at the price of patience.

~ The deep valleys of our present will be understood only by looking back on them from the mountains of our future experience. Often we can't see the Lord's hand in our lives until long after trials have passed. Often the most difficult times of our lives are essential building blocks that form the foundation of our character and pave the way to future opportunity, understanding, and happiness.

~ Patience means staying with something until the end.

~ Patience means accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with courage, grace, and faith.

~ Ultimately, patience means being "firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord" every hour of every day even when it is hard to do so.

~ Patience is a process of perfection.

~ Patience means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting rather than in the receiving that we grow the most.

~ Lessons learned from patience will cultivate our character, lift our lives, and heighten our happiness.

Wow - that was just an amazing talk on patience, and probably the best I have heard in a really long time. I so badly want to be done with school, and be on to the next chapter in my life. But, for some unknown reason I am "stuck" here. I have been stuck here too long, and am antsy to go to the next adventure. I guess I need to just be patient. Ha! Imagine that. Like my institute teacher said, "Patience is being happy why you wait." Well, why I wait I will make the best of it, and be happy.