Patience and humility are spiritual virtues that do not come naturally. They must be learned. If we truly desire to be like Christ, we must learn to imitate his patience and humility.  Through the process of imitation comes transformation.

To learn patience and humility is difficult for us, but not impossible. If we want to submit ourselves to the disciplined life we must be prepared to learn patience and humility from those moments that God grants to us as opportunities for growth. We encounter them every day, but we are so self-centered we seldom notice them for what they are. Here are a few ways to respond to these moments in a different way than we usually do. The key to learning patience and humility is to not react naturally. We must learn to react unnaturally.  Try these practices for awhile, or others that you think of. In them you may find the seeds to both patience and humility.

1. Choose the longest and slowest line at the bank, store or government office.

2. When a car slows down in front of you to turn, don’t go around. Just stop and wait.

3. Don’t speed up when the traffic light turns yellow.

4. Send your correspondence by mail, not email or fax.

5. Don’t use the drive thru. Get out and go inside.

6. Drive under the speed limit.

7. Don’t take shortcuts, either walking or driving. Take the long way around.

8. Prepare your meals from scratch.

9. Don’t call the person you need back if they do not call back right away. Wait for at least a day or two.

10. Let merging traffic cut in front of you.

And, remember that practice makes perfect.

Ειρἠνη πασἰ