“For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” Hebrews 10:36

This week, like many other weeks, the Lord is teaching me about patience.  In my quest to become more like my Savior, patience is an attribute that feels so hard to master. As I’ve pondered and read about the birth of the Savior and the events in the Holy Land, and in the Promised Land, I’ve seen evidence of the patience required of believers.

“Patience means accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with courage, grace, and faith…Ultimately, patience means being “firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord” every hour of every day, even when it is hard to do so.” Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The Bible tells of those in the Holy Land who believed the scriptures and the prophets and looked forward hopefully to the coming of the Christ. They believed He would save them, free them, redeem them. They kept the commandments and the Law of Moses, watching, believing, continuing in patience, year after year, to perform all the rituals that symbolized his atoning sacrifice.

When the time finally arrived, Mary, the mother of Jesus, most likely didn’t understand fully her sacred mission—what it all meant—and what it would look like for her. She walked with patience, by faith, one day at a time, trusting she would know what to do and be given the grace to accomplish all that was required of her.  

In The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Christ we read of the believers, far away in the Promised Land, who remembered the words of Samuel the Lamanite, and clung to their faith, patiently hoping the sign would appear—a night without darkness—which would signify the birth of the Savior, in Bethlehem.  They were facing eminent death if their faith and belief turned out to be in vain. Their patience and trust, during that time of persecution and fear, was rewarded as the promised sign was finally given. I can imagine their rejoicing, knowing the baby was born, a Savior to redeem the world.

I, too, wait for my Savior, in a world of persecution and fear. I know He lives and will come again. I know He has overcome death and taken away its sting. I know He will walk beside me, in my uncertainty, when I don’t know what to do and am afraid of what I will be asked to endure.

“Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!” Dieter F. Uchtdorf

I struggle to be patient.  I want to know what’s next, what’s going to happen, what I will be called on to do.  But this life isn’t about knowing everything at once; it’s about faith and hope. If I trust in God—and I do—then I trust in His timing, His goodness, His plan for me. I have the blessed gift of the Holy Ghost as my companion, and know I’ll be given what I need, moment by moment.  I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but I will keep trying to patiently walk by faith, gratefully trusting I’m not alone.