Article February 3, 1997 ISSUE

Patience—not just waiting

Richard Amand Hogrefe

"Be patient!" When I was growing up, I disliked those two words! I thought being patient meant never getting what I wanted. So, for the most part, I became very impatient!

Not until years later, when I was serving as a Christian Science chaplain in a large prison, did I learn something of what patience really means. The prison had three chapels, and I was assigned to one of them. This particular chapel was deep within the prison yard. I would go in, put up a little sign that read "Christian Science Chaplain Present," and sit down and wait. Days went by and no one came. It seemed as though I was wasting my time. I told myself, "Be patient!" But the more I told myself this, the more impatient I became.

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