Aug
27
St. Francis de Sales on patience
August 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them – every day begin the task anew.
Saint Francis de Sales
French saint & bishop of Geneva (1567 – 1622)
My Irish grandmother had a bevy of colorful sayings which she shared with us while we were growing up. Whenever the four of us clamored for something to happen sooner, she’d turn to us and say “You have the patience of a flea.”
I never was very patient, being a Type A. And I wouldn’t say that when I acquired my disability, I automatically received the patience I needed to deal with being a quadriplegic. I’m more patient than I was but there are days when I have a hectic time at work and fret over how long it takes me to do things. Waiting for help is part of the equation. That’s not always easy.
However, I’ve made progress. A few years after becoming disabled, I ran across this quote from St. Francis de Sales about patience. I realized that my frustrations arose mostly from a lack of patience – a trait I always had – not necessarily from what was going on. I had a choice as to how to react to circumstances. And, more importantly, I realized that it was okay to be patient with myself – whether it was in dealing with my tendency toward impatience or the fact that my quadriplegia resulted in getting things done at a slower pace.
I’ve made some strides with this. I’ve learned to stop and pray when my impatience descends. And, hopefully, my courage to face these imperfections, as St. Francis says, will continue – and that courage, I know, comes from God.
