If you come at me with your fists doubled I think I can promise you that mine will double as fast as yours; but if you come to me and say 'Let us sit down and take counsel together, and, if we differ from each other, understand why it is we differ, just what the points at issue are,' we will presently find that we are not so far apart after all, that the points we differ are few and the points we agree are many, and that if we only have the patience and the candor and the desire to get together, we will get together. ~Woodrew Wilson
True patience can be difficult to test. I never like to wait on stop lights, miss the train or the bus, etc, so when I see the "Don't Walk" light blinking I will run. If I see the train or bus coming I will run to catch it instead of waiting for the next one. I like to do things quickly and efficiently. I like my To Do Lists and organize to get more accomplished in a shorter period of time. As a nurse I multi-task as I'm with the patient. My boyfriend however liked to take his time. When I moved into my apartment I had a list of things he could do to help me get stuff done faster, but to my every 5 accomplishments on the list he was working on one. I never mentioned it, but it was frustrating to me. I'd rather get things done so I can enjoy doing the things I really like to do. He'd spend an hour and a half getting ready, doing what? I'm the one with the long hair, he's bald. I apply make-up, he doesn't. Girls get dressed, and then put on all kinds of accessories such as jewelry, panty hose, switching purses, touching up the nail polish, etc. I'd be done doing all of that, and still would be waiting on him. He'd tell me I wasn't a patient person, that I needed to learn patience.
Interesting enough, when the true test to patience came, it was HE who lacked the patience. He would get upset with everything I said. I couldn't say anything without him getting mad at me. All of the sudden we disagreed on everything, there was no compromise. He was quick to anger. I however would be over whatever I was angry about in the same day, then everything would be back to normal for me. In the end he was angry about the same things for 2 months. There was no seeing eye to eye. The greatest measure of patience was seen in me then. I wanted the relationship to end, but I couldn't do it. I lie in wait patiently praying that God could turn the situation and circumstances around. I believe in the Woodrew Wilson quote about. However in the end his lack of patience snapped and he broke up with me.
