Patience

OCT. 20, 1980, 6:01 AM
W. WILLOW, STUDY

Your experience this morning, o son, is one you have not had for some time of late, and particularly on your trip. I have given you the theme quickly, and you have written rapidly. You thought, at least once, that it seemed almost too easy. Today you had to wait. Today you had to be patient. Today you had to exhibit patience.

Know that patience, like many other characteristics or capabilities, must be exercised if it is to be maintained. And, in truth, if there are not situations that truly require patience this important response “grows rusty”. So, consider it good that you had to struggle a bit with the theme for your teaching this day. Expect that as it goes along there will be other times of testing. This can bring forth patience or impatience, frustration or a quiet smile. The time is not that critical. Experience the opportunity to be patience. And resist the temptation to be impatient while writing about patience.

Patience requires a devaluing of the inexorable tick-tick of the clock. The clock moves… and now says that it is time to stop one thing and start another. In patience, you turn the clock away and wait for the fruition, the ripening, or the conclusion of some activity. Or you await even the commencement of some worthwhile venture. Patience involves creative waiting.

Let it be said, then, that patience can be a waster of time. Because you wait patiently for one thing, another is neglected. How is time to be used during an experience in patience?

In our brief experience this morning there was nothing to do but wait… inactive, silently, in the dark. Your mind and spirit had to be open and active, yet there had to be a resistance to thoughts and musings that were distracting. How do you feel receptive when you actually don’t? It is difficult to remember back to our early experiences together, when words and concepts came forth slowly and painfully. Then you had little tangible experience with this form of communication and so the legitimate question would arise: patience for what? Will being patient produce anything of consequence… anything worth waiting for? Now, your past experience makes waiting more intelligent. You can be patient because you know what you can expect. And you do truly value these resultant writings.