Growing up I was told never to pray for patience. Why? Because it’s a hard lesson to learn. You see, when you pray for desired character traits, there’s homework involved. You enter into an agreement whether you realize it or not. Because the Lord answers these prayers through the experiences that follow.

Becoming more patient requires learning patience. Just as being gracious requires you to learn grace. Sounds obvious, right?

But what we often overlook is that you don’t automatically become more patient. The frantic, road raged driver doesn’t spontaneously become peaceful while sitting in bumper to bumper traffic.

Patience is developed through experiences that force you to choose to be patient. Allow me to explain.

This morning while reading Psalm 37 I came to the verse that says, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” It carries the idea of sitting before the Lord completely content to wait for His timing. And I thought, wow, that is what I want. Lord, give me that kind of stillness before you.

I prayerfully thoughtfully through this verse. I even shared it with my kids on the way to drop them off at school.

But then on the way to take my little boy to preschool wouldn’t you know it I was given my homework: The practical living it out portion of my earlier prayer for stillness.

There we were riding along, jamming to our pre-K morning playlist, and we get cut off by a garbage truck. (Sigh…) No big deal. Going the speed limit is a good thing. But as we continue to accelerate we never quite make it to the speed limit. We settle on a speed seven miles per hour slower than the speed limit. For the next twelve miles of straight, unpassible stretch of highway we maintain a speed of 47 miles per hour as we pass 55 mph sign after sign.

As I was about to become irritated, impatient, and all the emotions that come with angry driving I was reminded that I had asked for this… this was my first assignment for learning stillness.

They say be careful what you wish for. I say be careful what you pray for.