Patience

In church on Sunday we read many scriptures in the Book of James. As the teacher continued talking about different points, a neat chain that began forming in my mind distracted me and I began to pursue it during class. For this paper, I completed the chain (or just took it a little further) and using Elder Bednar's insights on searching, studying, and making connections I have gained some new thoughts on patience.

Below I have listed the scriptures in their entirety.

James 1:3-4

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh ^bpatience.

4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be ^aperfect and entire, wanting nothing.

D&C 67:13

13 Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore, continue in patience until ye are perfected.

Romans 2:7

7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life

Hebrews 12:1

1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the ^asin which doth so easily ^bbeset us, and let us run with ^cpatience the race that is set before us.

Helaman 6:1

1 And it came to pass that when the sixty and second year of the reign of the judges had ended, all these things had happened and the Lamanites had become, the more part of them, a righteous people, insomuch that their ^arighteousness did exceed that of the Nephites, because of their firmness and their steadiness in the faith.

The initial thing that caught my interest was the connection between patience and perfection. It seems that as we are continually striving to keep the faith and do what is right (or endure to the end) than our patient and diligent efforts will result in perfection. So often we want things to work now and yet the Lord teaches over time and through different conditions.

So a recurring theme arises - that of continuing in patience. Or as Paul infers, set a course and pace and move towards the goal of eternal life at a speed that is possible for us, knowing in time and with patience we will come off as conquerors. The Nephites were not as skilled in this attribute as their Lamanite counterparts because they did not run their race with patience. Continuing in patience reminds me of a long distance runner, or the woman I met in Colorado who was making Indian rugs in the old way. Neither the runner nor the rug maker can reach their goal immediately. The idea of running a 10K in a moment is absurd, as well as making a rug, which requires at least 3 days of time, in a short time frame. Then why do we sometimes expect perfection now when it is a long-term goal? There may be a variety of reasons, however it is important to focus on our progress over time rather than the speed of that progress in a single moment.

The Lord makes it clear that we are not able to bear his presence now, because we have not been perfected. This is a goal that comes with patiently living the first principles and ordinances of the gospel, and not one act of righteousness or moment of amazing power. Paul encourages us and the Romans to remember that patience assists only those who have the righteous goals and motives of gaining eternal life. It seems that patience can do little for one who has alternate plans.

In this study I feel I used many (if not all) of what Elder Bednar suggested in his talk. It is refreshing and helpful to use the Index (which was significant for me in this study in which I relied on 'perseverance'), make connections in the scriptures, and extrapolate key themes that can be seen in every day life. I am grateful for all these different methods and also the opportunity this was to reflect on them once again.