Oh to be a patient person. I don't know about you but patient is one of the last words I would use to describe myself. It bothers me too, because I really admire people who are patient. I often find myself telling my kids things like, "hurry up and finish your breakfast or we will be late for school, or can you please walk a little faster, or Mommy is running late, PLEASE get in the car quickly!" When I think about it, who's fault is it that we are running late? It certainly is not my children's fault (although I do sometimes wish they would move faster) it's their mom's fault! I didn't properly plan ahead of time and because I tried to squeeze too much in, we are LATE!!
After both of my pregnancies, I was not patient at all when trying to lose that baby weight. I really thought if I ate well and exercised consistently that the weight I had gained should come off in a couple weeks, no problem! I didn't care that it took 9 months to put it all on. I wanted immediate results. I had seen those pictures of celebrities and even people I knew that left the hospital looking like they had never been pregnant, why not me too? My stubbornness and inability to accept the fact that losing weight takes a lot of patience and consistency in diet and exercise left me feeling pretty frustrated. Finally with the support of my husband and also a "biggest loser" competition with my family, I was able to lose the weight at a steady and healthy pace.
My husband often laughs at my impatience. He is quite the opposite of me and has no problems waiting for things. He finds it very humorous when our children express their impatience with a "come on!" or a loud "hmpf!" because they sound just like their mom. So as hilarious as I think that is, I know it is something that I can only change with the help of Christ. He is the ultimate example of patience. He continually sees us doing really stupid things and He STILL loves us! Sometimes I really can't wrap my mind around why Christ continues to love me and I often find myself wondering how He can be so patient with me. If I could only love my husband and kids with a tenth of how much Christ loves me and show them patience in the same manner, well, I can only imagine what kind of super mom/wife I would be. The thing is, I can become a more patient person. I can be a more loving and forgiving person. I just need to rely completely on Christ and not myself. Yes you read correctly, rely on Christ, not me! Believe me, I like to think I can do it all myself, but I can't and I never will. Christ will do it and I will just hold on to Him for the ride.
Colossians 3:12-13
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."
Grateful,
Katy
You have a gift with writing! I love your beautiful transparency - and this totally hit a cord in my heart (having an 8 week old baby). I am really frustrated with my weight - and even though I see progress every day, it is not fast enough. I just did photos for a 7 day old baby and his mom was already in regular jeans! My doctor even told me my abdomen swelling could last up to 3 months w/ c-section - not what I wanted to hear. But with Christ centered in my life - I would be more focused on the gift of our beautiful baby boy than the pressures of our society to have a perfect body immediately. Thank you for sharing your story!!
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