Slow and steady wins the race. Is this still true in today's fast paced and demanding society? Why do we feel like we are passed up or passed by for being patient? What does it really mean to practice patience?

Patience is not popular these days. We want instant profits, fast food, and responses from people the second we need to know something. Lately I have struggled with having a patient attitude. It seems like the opportunities I long for stay just beyond my grasp. Why can't I have what I want now? I do not want to wait. Patience is a virtue, but all to often it seems like a virtue I did not receive.

Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience. Being patient does not mean we sit back and expect everything to fall into our lap without putting forth effort. We must be proactive in our approach but trust that all things will work out when they are supposed to.

Living a life of proactive patience has allowed many people to spark worldwide change. By practicing an active lifestyle of patience, these people were able to make a lasting impact on the world. Instead of waiting for the world around them to change, they sparked the change while still maintaining a patient attitude.

Martin Luther King, Jr. practiced patience as a civil rights leader in order to change the lives of millions. Gandhi affected the world based upon his peaceful attitude. Nelson Mandela unified a country after serving many years in a prison cell. Abraham, Moses, and others in the Bible followed God with patience and trust even when they did not know where He was leading them. If you want to change the world, follow the example of those who have done it before and practice patience.

Patience can change the world. It has done it before, and I believe it will be done again.