Practicing Patience

Thanks for letting me join as a contributer, Catherine!

My mom and I were talking about practicing being a good wife when I turned 13, and patience is a major part in a good marriage, as well as good family and sibling relationship. I already mentioned (in a comment) that dating is a bad way to practice. But what are some good ways?

Practice with your brothers.
This is very good practice, as your brothers are probably not trying to impress you with their good manners and 'angel' behavior. Next time when they aggravate you, speak to them gently and tell them how you feel about being whacked on the head with a pillow while in the middle of practicing your piano. Believe me, yelling just causes them to yell back, and then you get into an argument. My brother and I can usually get back on terms within the next hour or so, but that hour is going to be filled with bitter thoughts. And sometimes we can't reconcile. We have issues about pillow whacking today. Practice being patient with them. It will be a lot easier to learn this important lesson sooner then later.

Help your younger siblings.
Part of a marriage is children, and you definitely want to learn how to deal with children patiently before you get married. Seeing as I have plenty of younger siblings, practice sort of comes to me, not the other way 'round. My brother can't type, so sometimes I type for him. I babysit my youngest sibling when Mom goes to the grocery store, and I've even babysat all my younger siblings (believe me, they don't like burnt pizza. Whoops!)
Siblings, I can honestly say, can be quite a handful sometimes. But it's still good practice for your own children. Also, you can help out in your church nursery, or even in Vacation Bible School. And remember to get practice changing diapers. I'm still sort of squeamish, but definitely not like before. You should get as much practice as you can before you babysit. One of the first times I babysat my youngest sibling, he had a major diaper.

Be respectful to your parents.
This is one of my hardest areas--listening to authority. Your husband, when you are married, will be king of the castle, and you will be his queen. Your job is to advise and care for him, his job is to protect, lead, and care for you. It's going to be very hard to learn to respect your husband during your marriage unless you learn to respect your parents first.

There are many other tips and hints on patience out there. Some Bible verses on patience:

I Corinthians 13:4 (The whole chapter 13 is very good to read, too)

Proverbs 15:8

II Corinthians 6:3-10

I Thessalonians 5:14

Colossians 1:10-14

In Christ,

Princess Izori