We are not trained to be patient in our Western culture.  We expereince this lack of patience virtually everyday.  I witnessed a scene in the gorcery store recntly that was a reminder of our lack of patience.  Two men got into a shouting match that almost erupted into a fist fight over the time it was taking one of them to check out. In July 2007 the California Department of Transportation temporarily shut down Highway 138 because drivers were getting so annoyed with construciton along the way.  Drivers abused construction workers with death threats, BB guns, and even in one instance a flying burrito.

 Here is a good definition of patience - allowing someone to be imperfect.

Here are a couple of patience principles:

Being patient in one area of our lives helps us be patient in all areas.

Patience is not agreeing with the other person in order to avoid an argument.  It is entering into a dialogue to understand the other person's feeling and thoughts.

When we are patient we acknowledge that relationships are more improtant than schedules.