Patience

Patience IS a virtue...and it happens to be the virtue we are teaching Anna about this month. It was easy to choose this virtue since her new favorite question is "why" and when she wants something she has been told "no" or "not now" about she says, "But I really want it. I mean I really, really want it."

Her Bible verse is Romans 12:12, "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Don't worry - we told her "tribulation" means hard things :) Now she loves to ask, "Is this a tribulation, mom?" Haha!

In all seriousness though, doing these values with her has been a HUGE benefit for all of us and I'm excited to get back in to them now that fall is here and we are back into a more solid routine. I have to really think when planning why I want her to be patient and select a verse that I think portrays it best in a way she can grasp and then HOW to teach her about it. Her Bible verse seems so basic, but if I could grasp it, how different I would be!

Rejoice in hope - what is my hope? My hope is that God loves me and I will one day see Him face to face because Christ died on the cross, bearing the penalty of my sin, and rose again, conquering sins hold on me and ensuring there is NO WRATH left for me. Because of this, all things in my life are working together for my good.

Constantly focusing on my hope will make the next part, being patient in tribulation, easier. And then to cap it off, I am to pray constantly. Staying focused on my hope in Christ and constantly talking to Him about that hope will inform my heart so well in "tribulations" - whether they be small ones like trying to fit in a day of errands with both girls between nap and meal times, or large ones like weathering the loss of a loved one or my health or my wealth.

Anna gets to put a leaf on her "tree of patience" every time I catching her exhibiting patience. After 5 she gets a special treat. It has been SO FUN to look for her to be patient! She really is such an awesome little girl and I've already seen improvement in this area.

We've also had some fun with it - learning songs, etc. It's so fun to hear Anna sing along so seriously :) Hahaha. Here are the lyrics from the Gotta Wait song on the To Be Like Jesus CD - love it:

VERSE 1
When I don’t get what I want (whoa)
And things take longer than they ought (whoa)
Waiting’s hard for me to do
But I know one thing that’s true

CHORUS
Jesus, You will always be
Patient, gently teaching me
I see in You what I want to be

VERSE 2
When my sister isn’t kind (whoa)
And when my brother takes what’s mine (whoa)
Loving’s harder than it seems
Show me, Lord, what patience means

BRIDGE
Wait, wait, gotta wait, wait, gotta wait
When it’s hard to, but You say to
Wait, wait, gotta wait, wait, gotta wait
For the right time, Your time, not mine
Wait, wait, gotta wait, wait, gotta wait
For my brothers, sisters, and others
Wait, wait, gotta wait, wait, gotta wait
‘Cause I want to be more like You

Oh, how I pray God's love will take root and patience will bubble out of her! And while I focus on my hope and pray to Him more and more, patiently waiting for that day I hope to see may be a little easier :)

Thanks to Lorrie Young for teaching me how to teach values to kids and for great templates/ideas :)

Pictures of Nadia's 1st birthday to come...guess you'll have to patiently wait in the mean time ;)