Questions about Patience

A friend's post on the month of patience makes me wonder,
How can we be patient, yet not passive? How can we be patient, yet direct our futures? Is patience simply a matter of being grounded in the present? Is patience non-attachment to the future or the past?

Attributes of Patience

What is patience?
Is it not a quiet and steady faithfulness to God and other duties in the midst of trials?

What are the attributes of patience?
* Detachment seems to be key!
e.g., patience in tribulation must involve detaching from the suffering of the present because of faith for trust that all situations can lead to spiritual growth. This makes me think of the Valley of Knowledge in Baha'u'llah's The Seven Valleys, which describes this foresight so beautifully.
Let us "...rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance." (Romans 5:3). "Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." (Romans 12:12).
* A healthy dose of selflessness. Rigidly demanding that things work one's own way in one's own time frame is not likely to induce great patience.
* A willingness to compromise seems very much related to the previous point.
* Compassion. Without compassion, it can be harder to relate to another person and hear them out in many situations.
* Any others? Please share out any thoughts you may have. I'm particularly interested in hearing folks' thoughts on practical things we can do to develop more patience.

Patience Continues

How appropriate that a marriage proposal should come during the month of patience, when this relationship has been such a lesson in patience (I suppose that's true of most relationships). Looking forward to a future year of wedding planning and waiting to be married will be another lesson in patience!

I've been so patient with April that some how it has flown by!

On patience

"Patience is the companion of wisdom."
--Saint Augustine