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Alma 37:6
Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances both confound the wise.
I am not a big fan of traffic. In fact, I despise sitting at lights and turning lanes. I easily get frustrated with the drivers around me. The other day, while driving downtown, with my son in the truck, I grunted loudly in frustration because a driver was moving along at half the posted speed limit. My son asked, "What's wrong dad, are you okay?" I responded to him by saying, "I just need to be a more patient guy."
Not ten minutes later, the person we were following did not turn on the green light, causing me to wait for, what seemed like, a very long time. Of course, I could not hold it in and I grunted loudly for a second time. My five year old boy in the back seat immediately piped up and said, "Dad, you need to be a patient guy." This is true; his dad does need to be a more patient guy.
Patience is a newly acquired attribute for me. My wife would tell you, before we had children, there was no way I would ever learn to be patient in this life. In fact, I am still not patient with everyone around me, but I am doing better.
My children know me as a patient guy, slow to anger, willing to listen to them, and take time with them as they work through the process of discovery. But as for my peers, I am sometimes... I mean, often times, less patient. Though, I am far more patient today then I was just a short five years ago.
I believe that patience is a gift of God. I know because I am a recipient of this gift as it relates to my children. I pray I always show forth loving patience with my children. To do this, I must remember to control my reaction to circumstances; to step outside of the moment and reflect on what is really important. If I spread the seed of hasty reactions and not showing patience with my children, I am tossing weeds into a fertile plain. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn." Small actions lead us towards greatness or away; the choice is mine alone.
To help me, I have leaned on the example of great men, who patiently love and teach those around them. Those men draw upon the love, the Savior showed as he went about doing good. I can't help but think that if I choose to be hasty, I may merit the forest I grow.
Concerning patience, President Monson has said, "Life is full of difficulties, some minor and others of a more serious nature. There seems to be an unending supply of challenges for one and all. Our problem is that we often expect instantaneous solutions to such challenges, forgetting that frequently the heavenly virtue of patience is required." He continued, "Oh, precious youth, please give life a chance. Apply the virtue of patience."
Had I Been A Child

Had I been a child when Jesus came

Unto the Nephites that blessed day

And showed them the wounds in his hands and his feet

And knelt with them to pray.

Then he might have held me safe in his arms;

He might have looked in my eyes and said

A word, with his blessing of kindness and love,

His hands placed upon my head.

Someday, when the Savior comes again,

Oh, how I hope that my heart will be

As pure as the hearts of the children that day

Who gathered around his knee.