patience is a virtue...right?

http://francineannabelle.tumblr.com/

This is a post of me telling you why Jesus is so good.

Last night I told some of my friends that I needed prayer for patience in different areas of my life - including learning how to wait for things (I am anxious about) and how to be patient in my relationships with the people in my life. The ironic thing is, I probably told my friend Sarah that, 'patience is a virtue' at least 25 times this past school year. I thought I understood patience, until now when I seem to be lacking it.

Now, fast-forward 12 hours. This morning when I woke up I decided to do some Bible reading. I am going through this Bible reading plan my professor gave us.

For today, it said to read 1 Corinthians 13.

 ¹ If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
 ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
 ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 

This love is the agape love that God gives us and we should be showing it to people. Patience is the first characteristic of this kind of love that Paul is describing, so I am guessing it is rather important. 

I pray that God continues to give me more insight on how to be patient and learn to wait upon Him with a patient heart (yes, I know when you ask for something like this God doesn't just give a person patience, but times to practice it. That is why I am expecting this to be hard).

I love how the Lord knows exactly what we need. That is why He is in control and I praise Him for that.