ABOUT PATIENCE AND SELF-MASTERY

“Prayer has turned many an irritable and complaining invalid into a paragon of patience and made him an inspiration to all other human sufferers.” [UB P.999 - §5 (91:6.2)]

Thought Adjuster: “Dear child, what is the loving way to live? How do you sustain loving intentions throughout the day? First of all, Love is patient. How does it apply to this topic?

“Irritating situations may pop up on your daily horizon and take you off guard. If you react impulsively and instinctively to them, you may come to regret your initial reaction. This is the reason why it is important not to allow your reaction to override your thinking process. You have been gifted with an analytical mind that can be a great resource in your life if you use it as an ally.

“Anger, hate and their consorts are emotions that put blinders on the mind and generate irrational and dangerous re-actions—inflicting harm to oneself and others. Consciously practicing patience in such potentially destabilizing situations provides you with a time-out, a pregnant pause. During that vacuum, you can regroup and come to your senses. Such time-outs are life savers.

“When a child is acting up, throwing a temper tantrum, wise parents prescribe a time out so that the child can remove himself emotionally from the obsessive behavior that causes him to over focus on what disturbs him emotionally.

“In various sports, recesses allow the players to regroup both physically and psychologically; if needed, through a pep talk from their coach, they get a much needed second wind and mental boost. Sometimes the previously losing team can turn things around in the second half of the game.

“Patience is therefore on your side. You have to be patient not only toward others, but also toward yourself as loving yourself also means to make allowances for your shortcomings rather than getting discouraged by the task at hand.

“Life will provide you with abundant opportunities to be patient. Patience is one of the building blocks of self-mastery. It is calming and allows peace to remain anchored in your being. Breathing slowly and consciously can be of great assistance to calm the disturbing nervous energies that would run havoc in your life if you were to allow them to carry their hostile takeovers within and without your being.

“Think of those you feel drawn to because they exhibit loving behaviors. They are steadfast in their love; this is the reason why you feel drawn to them as safe zones. They do not hold grudges but exhibit a positive attitude. It is very helpful to have such role models in your life and to do your best to emulate their behavior in challenging times. “What would Jesus do?” is a wonderful reference point if you are not blessed with such role models in your life. The world would rapidly become a much better place if humanity would consciously work at spreading Love through the process of instant forgiveness. This is a powerful way to disable many inner ticking bombs.”