Love is patient.
Those are hard words. They become even more difficult when you look at the definition of patience: the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.
Some people seem to be born with the gift of patience, but for most of us, it’s a skill that takes time and effort to develop. It’s impossible to love someone well without practicing patience. Life is filled with unexpected setbacks and challenges, and when you love someone you are taking on their setbacks and challenges as well. There are two things to remember that will help you develop the patience your relationships need.
Patience Believes the Best
If you are going to develop patience, you have to practice believing the best about the person you love. If you think that he is being messy or running late just because he doesn’t care about you, then it will be hard to be patient. If, however, you believe that the person you love isn’t trying to make your life harder, then you will be able to talk about what bothers you and be patient while you work things out.
Patience remembers that love is worth the trouble.
Yes, being in relationship with someone else and loving them well will make our life less efficient. It’s easier to accomplish tasks when there is just one person to consider and one schedule to navigate. When we bring someone else into our life, we have to understand that no matter how wonderful they are, they are different from us. They have a different schedule, different priorities, and a different approach to tasks. That’s ok. In fact, it can be really good for the relationship and for us. To enjoy those benefits you have to be committed to the fact that loving another person is worth the challenges that it inevitably brings.
Patience isn’t easy and you can’t develop it overnight, but it is an essential skill in order to be able to love others well. As tough as it is to be patient, it’s worth it. Your relationships will grow stronger and more enjoyable as a result of this very valuable skill.