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Patience in Growth and Healing

Makeena Rivers | Mar 19, 2020

The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith.

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Makeena Rivers | Mar 19, 2020

The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith.

I’ve come to terms with the fact that to strengthen my spiritual and mental health, I have to practice patience.

People’s strengths and weaknesses vary. We are all unique, so it makes sense that while I’ve watched some people struggle with patience, others practice it with ease. As I try to learn how to be more patient, I turn to the people around me for insight and guidance. Sometimes I learn from the mistakes they tell me about, or from the way that I see them struggle. Other times I am inspired by the way they move through the world without impatience or force. 

But while these examples are helpful, when it comes to practicing patience with myself, I find it most useful to read spiritual guidance. I have sought this spiritual guidance in divine scriptures, like this potent Baha’i passage:

Were it not for calamity, how would the sun of Thy patience shine, O Light of the worlds? Lament not because of the wicked. Thou wert created to bear and endure, O Patience of the worlds. – Baha’u’llah, Baha’i Prayers

Healing Is Not Linear

A common saying in mental health spaces states that “healing is not linear”. One of the most obvious forms of emotional healing is the way we process a catastrophic event, such as the loss of a loved one. In my social work graduate program, we learned about the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. But while we might like to imagine that when something grievous occurs, people move through the stages one by one, the fact is that these phases can mesh together. Often, we loop back to stages we already passed through before. Grief can be complex, and it is not a linear process. 

Patience Through Spiritual Guidance

The process of grief requires patience. Most will find themselves sorely disappointed if every time they face a challenge they assume that they’ll glide through the process. The Baha’i writings suggest that we have to continually reorient our minds towards a divine source when processing something difficult:

Rely upon God. Trust in Him. Praise Him, and call Him continually to mind. He verily turneth trouble into ease, and sorrow into solace, and toil into utter peace. He verily hath dominion over all things. – Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha

In my own experience, keeping God in mind is necessary in my process to cultivate a stronger sense of patience. When I am frustrated with myself or other people in my life I try to remember that we were all created by God. When I feel upset or confused about different seemingly desirable opportunities passing me by, I try to remember there is a greater purpose that God understands. When that line of reasoning doesn’t calm my anxiety, I often try to remind myself that no matter what my life circumstances- there are always ways I can find to worship God and grow spiritually. 

Remembering to Forgive

Even when I’m not grieving something, I’ve learned that I have to be patient in my efforts to develop new habits. Once I’ve recognized a pattern that gets in the way of my functioning, I want to change, but awareness of the issue does not naturally result in the change I hope for. Even putting in effort to change doesn’t necessarily guarantee that I will be successful, which requires that I be patient and forgiving of myself throughout the process. 

In addition to practicing patience by not hurrying, patience also means persisting in putting forth energy. It isn’t a passive virtue, but rather an active one. It’s tied closely to persistence. 

The Baha’i writings tell us:

He [God], verily, rewardeth beyond measure them that endure with patience. -Baha’u’llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries

An active approach to patience allows for growth. Wise people in my life have often reminded me that you have to try and try again to succeed. When we do this, the reward we imagine for ourselves probably isn’t even a fraction of the bounty we might receive. 

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Comments

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  • Rosslyn and Steven Osborne
    Mar 20, 2020
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    How wonderful you are human like the many of us who fight tooth & nail for things to happen yesterday at best or within the next few weeks at the longest. I fought this battle for so many years & what is worse I was trying to negotiate my ideas to God and organise Him to get moving with my desires or outcomes the way I figured it should be. My solutions of what I saw as good outcomes for everybody involved. After crying to the point of being ill & not eating or sleeping, I suddenly heard the words ..."Rely upon God, Thy God and the Lord of they fathers. For the people are wandering in paths of delusions" The words stopped right there. How delusional was I trying to organise God? Years of battles but He won and I now listen & wait for Him
    Read more...
  • Maria L Ishaya
    Mar 20, 2020
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    Lovely article I shall share xx
  • Mark David Vinzens
    Mar 19, 2020
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    The more we open our mind to the Divine Presence, the quieter and more patient we become. The Patient One is one of the names of God. Don't try to be patient. Just surrender to the One who is characterised by infinite patience.
  • Susan Yazdanmehr
    Mar 19, 2020
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    Thank you so much for sharing these thoughts and reflections. I very much appreciate your insights and found them very helpful - supportive and comforting as I navigate similar tests with patience. So helpful to know I am not alone. ??✅??
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