Tag Archive for: disciplined

The Patience Spectrum

Following a recent coaching conversation, I decided to study the topic of patience for the last few weeks.
Yesterday, I was running a virtual learning session on a completely different topic and a spectrum or continuum was used to explore one key idea.
It got me thinking about patience again and figuring out what it would look like on a spectrum.
Patience is often praised as a virtue, but it’s not one-size-fits-all.
This morning, I started to see patience not as a fixed trait, but as a spectrum.
And like most spectrums, the extremes can be just as unhelpful as the absence of it.
On one end, there’s over-patience, the kind that borders on passivity and inaction.
You wait too long, tolerate too much, delay the hard conversations.
It feels calm on the outside, but underneath it might be fear, avoidance, or indecision.
On the other end, there’s impatience in overdrive.
Everything’s urgent.
There’s no space for process or people.
Things have to happen now, and if they don’t, then frustrations can arise.
Somewhere in between is the sweet spot: 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆.
This version is intentional.
Balance is important.
Patience isn’t about stepping back and doing nothing.
It’s about staying connected while giving things the space they need.
You’re not rushing to control the outcome, but you’re not disengaging either.
You stay aware, you stay ready and most importantly you trust the timing.
But here’s the difficult question – it’s hard to know where you are on the spectrum.
If you’re not sure where you stand, ask someone you trust.
Someone who’s seen you in both calm and crisis.
“Do I tend to wait too long, or perhaps not long enough?”
The answer might surprise you, and possibly, it might be exactly what you need to hear.
“Patience is not indifference. Actually, it means caring very much but being willing, nevertheless, to submit to the Lord and to what the scriptures call the “process of time.”” – Neal A. Maxwell.
Where on the patience spectrum do you see yourself right now – and what might help you move closer to the sweet spot?

Above Reproach

Perhaps you’re serving a mission, served previously, want to serve in the future or want to improve your relationships with others?
Young or old, in the mission field, the standards, the discipline, the expectations – are high.
To be an effective missionary, you must be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ and be 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡, in all of your actions and dealings with everyone.
Building a Christlike character is a daily process, it is an individual responsibility.
By following the “Missionary Standards for the Disciples of Jesus Christ,” the example each missionary sets can always be above reproach.

What does it mean to be 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉?

𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 – “Impossible to criticise, being good, blameless, unaccusable, faultless, exemplary, impeccable.
In the books of 1 Timothy and Titus, Paul referring to the qualifications of a Bishop, outlines virtues that an individual would have to possess in order to be “𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡”.
Similarly, a missionary is not arrogant or quick-tempered or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.
Over these last two years, I know that it takes personal effort in all of our actions and communications to be above reproach.
Is your soul untarnished?
It may not be easy, but it is possible.
Our actions must be above reproach, not only in the public domain, but even more so in our own private moments.
How are your interactions with others?
As missionaries and disciples of Jesus Christ, being thoughtful of our spoken words, the things we say and share online, the way we treat others, and the way we live our daily lives, must always be above reproach.
I know the example that missionaries set, will indeed set the tone for others to follow, just like the millions who choose to follow the ultimate example of being above reproach, even Jesus Christ.

Are you true to yourself?

A true missionary is one who is living a life above reproach.
If we are to find true happiness, real joy, missionary or not, then living our life above reproach, should be a given.
This week during Zone Conferences, we ran expert panels with 13 soon to be departing for home missionaries. It was fun!
I love these pictures of missionaries serving with all of their hearts, learning what it means to honour missionary standards, and to serve above reproach.
How do you maintain your personal character and live your life 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡?