the p-word

Is patience a tiresome drudgery to which we subject ourselves only to secure a privilege or payday of some sort?

Is it more or less a chore -- on par with bill-paying, clock-punching, gutter-cleaning, dog-bathing, etc.?

Or is patience, in and of itself, a sweet thing?
Is it a component of personal formation?
Is it a change agent?

[Do you find yourself exercising an inordinate amount of patience just reading through this blog entry?]

Patience seems to be a critical attribute of presence -- the art of being where I am... of feeling the feelings of my life... of becoming present. To me, this is one of the most remarkable things about Jesus. It's a characteristic of his that I long to emulate.