Patience

Today at church we had a pleasant surprise. As church was about to start, AJP's primary (Sunday school) teacher came by. She handed TSP a largish bag of M&M's and explained why she was giving them to her. She said that last Sunday she had told the children (ages 8-9) that they could have a small treat then and there or if they waited until the next Sunday she would bring a large treat. She said that AJP had opted to wait and she was delivering the goods. I was really proud of him. On his own, AJP decided that he would put off the good (a small bag of M&M's) for the better (a large bag of M&M's). To top it off, he shared the M&M's voluntarily when we got home!

Last April, President Dieter Uchtdorf said:

Waiting can be hard. Children know it, and so do adults. We live in a world offering fast food, instant messaging, on-demand movies, and immediate answers to the most trivial or profound questions. We don’t like to wait. Some even feel their blood pressure rise when their line at the grocery store moves slower than those around them.

Patience—the ability to put our desires on hold for a time—is a precious and rare virtue. We want what we want, and we want it now. Therefore, the very idea of patience may seem unpleasant and, at times, bitter.

Nevertheless, without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect. Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace.

As parents, we know how unwise it would be to indulge our children’s every desire. But children are not the only ones who spoil when showered with immediate gratification. Our Heavenly Father knows what good parents come to understand over time: if children are ever going to mature and reach their potential, they must learn to wait.

To Read the full address (that I think we've mentioned here before but is very much worth the read) click here.