A new year is upon us, so I took a moment to re-read my post stating my resolution for 2014, Bright New Year.  By the end of the post I found myself getting choked up.  I’m positively awful at keeping resolutions, to the point that sometimes I don’t make them at all.  But, for the first time ever, I can confidently say that I kept my new year’s resolution.  I’m not one to toot my own horn, but gosh darn it, I’m going to on this one.  I made my year bright not because of fortunate circumstances, but because I made it bright in all circumstances.  As a result, I have beautiful memories to show for it, despite the setbacks with health issues we encountered.

While I do have desires for a healthier body and financial situation, I’m going to make this year’s resolution broader, as I did last year.  This year my goal is to have greater patience.  I heard a very inspiring talk in church this past Sunday and it helped me better understand patience and my desire for more of it in my life.  The speaker was referencing the scripture found in Hebrews 12:1 – Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. She then went on to discuss her confusion with the “run with patience” portion of the scripture.  She spoke of her knowledge of the word patience meaning “to wait” and how running to wait didn’t make much sense to her.  I happen to agree.  But patience is more than that.  Patience isn’t just about waiting.  She went on to include a definition she had found in the book Word Meaning in the New Testament, which stated that, “patience is the quality that does not surrender to circumstance or succumb under trial.”  Patience is strength and endurance.  The reason this definition hit me is because it speaks of patience not being affected by circumstance.  This echoes my 2014 resolution.  It wasn’t just that I wanted a bright new year with ease.  I wanted to make my new year bright despite the ease, because let’s face it, life is not easy.  The same goes with patience.  I don’t want to get greater patience by things being handed to me, I want to truly gain the strength and endurance that comes from being patient in all things.  I say that now and I already fear what may come my way.  In 2014, I had resolved to keep a bright outlook in all circumstances and I got challenged with having a stroke and finding a tumor.  Who knows what may come with my desire to become more patient?  I can’t help thinking of the meme I saw regarding patience, which read, “Bless me with patience…Not opportunities to be patient, I’ve had plenty of those and they don’t seem to be working.  The actual patience…”  And here I am hoping to gain true patience, which requires opportunities to exercise the attribute.

Without knowing what’s in store for 2015, my guess is that I will have to exercise patience predominantly with myself.  I’m the type of person to do one workout and then race to the scale in hopes that I’ve magically gone down 5 lbs.  Logical Sara knows that’s not how it works, but pathetically desperate Sara hopes that it is.  I need to realize that becoming healthier physically and financially are not sprints, they are long distance runs.  I guess that means I need to long-distance-run with patience.  HAHAHA!  I crack myself up.  Seriously though, this is going to be quite the challenge for me.  Patience has never been my strong suit, just ask my husband.  Then, when 2015 comes to a close, we can ask him again and see if I’ve made any improvement.

If you are a patient person, please teach me your ways by leaving a comment of enlightenment.  I know my husband is a patient person, but I have yet to figure out how he does it.  He’s so laid back in general that it’s hard for me to comprehend.  I wonder, are men generally more patient?  Is greater patience only accomplished by greater opportunities to exercise it?  I sure hope I’m not opening a can of worms in my efforts to be a little stronger this year than last.

Whatever your resolution is this coming year, I imagine it would be better accomplished with a little bit of patience on your side.  So, be patient with yourself, with others, and with all circumstances.  And remember, patience isn’t just about happily waiting but rather, “a quality that does not surrender to circumstance or succumb under trial.”