Patience

You might remember comedian Yakov Smirnoff. When he first came to the United States from Russia he was not prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in American grocery stores. He says, “On my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk -- you just add water, and you get milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice -- you just add water, and you get orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to my self, What a country!”
We live in a fast-paced world. We drive fast cars. We eat fast food. We live in the fast lane. We want it now. One old story tells of a judge who was in a benevolent mood as he questioned the prisoner. “What are you charged with?” he asked. “Doing my Christmas shopping early," replied the defendant. “That's no offense,” said the judge. “How early were you doing this shopping?” “Before the store opened,” countered the prisoner.
Few of us will go to those extremes to satisfy our desire to “get it now,” but we know what we want and we wish we could have it yesterday. We don't like to wait. Though there is certainly a place for decisiveness and action, there is also a place for patience. Have you learned when to wait?

Wait for the sunrise...there will be another day.
Wait for guidance...learn to be still.
Wait for wisdom...it will come with experience.
Wait for growth...it will come in the fullness of time.
Wait and be contented...it is a secret to inner peace.

There is a time to act, but there is also a time to wait. Learn how to tell what time it is, for great things can happen for those who learn to wait. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it well: “Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience.”
Moral stories can improve your moral values.
--Steve Goodier