CH3 - The Greatest Revelation: Long-suffering

[Erudite]

Here's the thread for "long-suffering". I think 5D started it best with her comments in "Approaching skills", so I'm quoting her post to start this one off.

The Holy Ghost has just simply encouraged me to slow down and stop bull-dozing through my kids' lives. They aren't at my level of understanding and so I need to slow down when teaching them concepts. This is very hard for me. I have been taught that I need to take things slowly and the Holy Ghost reminds me that my children are learning and learning takes time. In fact, yesterday I was having a conversation w/ one of my boys (it was a very long one - and it should've been) and then all of a sudden I felt impressed to stop because my son had all that he could handle in his brain and felt I should continue the rest of the conversation later once he was able to digest the concepts we'd just talked about. To me this was putting all of the qualities into practice but mostly I felt I was working on long suffering. It would be so much easier for me to just lay it all out in 5 minutes but then that's me deciding for him what he's going to do and how he'll do it. He won't learn anything. Sorry if this doesn't make sense.

I know for some people this doesn't necessarily fit the bill of long suffering but if you know me, this is exactly what it is because it's gonna happen over and over for a while.....with all of my kids.

[Erudite]

First, I'm totally impressed at 5D's ability to listen in a moment that could have been anxiety filled and have been difficult to listen. Second, I'm amazed at this experience that gives us all such a great example of how to do this.

I love the "bull-dozing" reference, because I know I've struggled with that too. I want my kids to understand what I understand, but I've also seen that they just aren't going to without developing the foundation that I stand on. So I've been thinking a lot about foundation and how to build it appropriately. Long suffering comes into play because it can't be built in a day. It takes time and practice to build habits of strength and testimony.

Most of all, I think I need to patient with myself. Sometimes, I just want what I want when I want it, you know? It's hard to remain patient and trusting, but as I've done it more and more, I've gotten better and better at it (oh! 5D...spiritual muscle!!). Practice makes perfect, huh?

[Joanie]

I had never considered his definition before. I had always thought that long-suffering meant that you had to suffer and be patient about it. This has changed how I view people. Instead of feeling like they will never understand or never change I now look at them with different eyes. I can see that I can share a small amount of information and save some for later. I don't need to jump in and share everything because I fear never having this chance again. I can see now that other opportunities will come up. It has actually freed me up to be more relaxed and willing to not go overboard.

[Erudite]

That is so cool! I hadn't thought of it quite like you stated it either! "willing to not go overboard"...that is really food for thought.

[5ft Diva]

Originally Posted by Joanie

I had never considered his definition before. I had always thought that long-suffering meant that you had to suffer and be patient about it. This has changed how I view people. Instead of feeling like they will never understand or never change I now look at them with different eyes. I can see that I can share a small amount of information and save some for later. I don't need to jump in and share everything because I fear never having this chance again. I can see now that other opportunities will come up. It has actually freed me up to be more relaxed and willing to not go overboard.

I'm not sure why I think this is so funny,other than I completely understand what you're saying, especially about the part where we feel we'll never have the change again (scarcity mentality). Heavenly Father blesses us w/ abundance and this is one of the areas he abundantly blesses us in. Opportunities to teach and to be taught. I hadn't thought about that until writing this thread so I now realize I really can take it easy and trust that Heavenly Father will bless me w/ the opportunity when I and the other person need it and that I will be blessed w/ the information I need at the time when it comes up. Boy, that really is a trust issue isn't it? Aaahhh, I feel I have so much to learn with so little time but I have now learned that I have plenty of time if I'm doing what's right thus, long suffering. One of Satan's lies is that we don't have enough time to learn and teach everything we have been sent here to learn and teach. My experiences at the temple have taught me otherwise. Hmmm, food for thought.

[Erudite]

I have to post my favorite patience quote from Elder Neal Maxwell:

Patience is a willingness, in a sense, to watch the unfolding purposes of God with a sense of wonder and awe--rather than pacing up and down within the cell of our circumstance.

I mentioned in the persuasion thread that I'd needed to persuade myself into understanding something. I also need to be patient. I see the hand of the Lord in the events that are currently rolling forth, but I don't see how this newest turn works into them, but I trust that it does and in the correct time all will be well.

It's been interesting to be patient in it. I work with someone who is SSOOOO incredibly busy that she makes my job somewhat difficult to do, since what I do goes through her. As I have given some thought to how much I actually need to push at her, I felt that I should push nothing at her...that she is already overwhelmed. So those things that I thought I needed to push, don't need pushing and when I think that, it is easy to be patient with the fact that things aren't getting done. I trust that the Lord will make them possible if they need to be done and make-up for the lack if they do not. It makes my (also incredibly busy) life easier and I'm not stressing about things that don't need my stress.

Patience is like a warm blanket sometimes...a warm and comfortable blanket of confidence in the atonement and its grand blessings.