I have been stabbed with a fork more times in my lifetime than anyone should have to count. What a random tribulation, an odd occurrence, and yet there was a time in my life where my younger sister would pursue me almost daily with the intent of plunging cutlery into the back of my hand. There was a part of her that lost control intentionally so as to cause injury, but an even larger part that could not control her sudden mood swings due to rather unique compilation of behavioral disorders.

In the midst of these tantrums, my job has always been to remain patient and in control of my faculties, and, in the spirit of honesty, I should have been fired many times over.  It is not my natural inclination to quietly wait for her mood to pass or to speak soothing words to other siblings, rather a skill, that through the course of my life I have been forced to learn. My little sister, Jena, although I love her dearly, has added a layer of tension to my life that would otherwise not have been there. Most of my childhood revolved around finding ways to avoid setting her off. Lord knows, that my stepping across the line was a catalyst for an explosive reaction. There have been times when she is constantly moving ever closer to loosing her temper and I send up the continuous prayer, “give my patience, give my patience, give me patience…” to deal with Jena. And, ultimately, I have learned to be patient.

As a High School student, patient people are few and far between. There is an ever-present anxiety over the looming college applications and trying to achieve the highest possible grades so as to overcome this ultimate challenge, and we, as a people group, get wrapped up in the selfish need to attend to only our own learning. In this transitional phase, it is hard to give grace to our fellow students and remember that we all are reaching for the same goal.

For instance, in math, our school district has adopted a new method of teaching: instruction in the team format. The difficulty in this is that everyone works at their own pace, and as a math geek, I want to put my nose to the grindstone and plow through all the problems to complete them for my own understanding. Unfortunately, this is not a good way to help my teammates. We all work at a different pace, and slowing down to explain complex calculus takes a great deal of patience but works towards a higher learning outcome than applying mathematical theorems. In this setting, patience leads to understanding the value in teamwork and relationships rather than focusing on annihilating a list of math questions.

Patience is a valuable character trait, and I am thankful to have been born into a position where I have had to develop this attribute. In walking alongside Jena, and watching her grow, I have developed patience and understanding as a skill that can be easily applied to life scenarios. Whether it’s solving a list of math problems, or working towards a learning outcome, patience has become my most treasured tool, and my little sister is to be thanked. Although my hand still twinges a bit at the thought, I can be grateful for the fact that I have someone in my life willing to stab me wi