As a Protestant, I strongly believe that anyone who follows Jesus Christ as his/her Lord automatically becomes a “saint” within God’s economy. Some people may behave in very good ways, but no one is automatically holier than someone else based solely on what they do, and all of us are equally lost and broken, in need of grace.

And all of us have many opportunities to show patience. And all of us need equally infinite amounts of patience from God and others throughout our lives.

All that said, I do enjoy reading about saints from the past in the Catholic tradition. While they were only human, the things they learned from God can serve as helpful lessons and reminders to us all.

Today, I was reading about St. Frances de Sales. I found some details of his life intriguing, but I will choose not to focus on those so much as on a few of his words. At one point, he said, “Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them–every day, begin the task anew.” And when asked by others how true patience could really be achieved, he pointed frequently back to Christ. He would say, “When it is our lot to suffer pain, trials, or ill-treatment, let us turn our eyes upon what our Lord suffered, which will instantly render our sufferings sweet and supportable.”

I could expound a little or a great deal on those two quotations, but I think today I will just choose to let them strike the reader as they might and share a song which these words remind me of. See below.

Be blessed, my friends, as you walk on and daily meet opportunities for building patience.