A speaker in church today was assigned the topic of Patience. He brought up a very interesting observation. The word "patience" in Spanish is "paciencia." If you split that up into two words, it becomes, "paz" and "ciencia" which in English are "peace" and "science". Therefore, patience is "the science of peace"! If you think about it, it's really true! When we are patient, we feel at peace; we don't feel like we're running around worried and frustrated by life. If all the world were more patient, there would be less crime and fewer wars. Being patient encourages peace!
On a somewhat related note, I've also heard that catharsis - the method of releasing your anger in a non-harmful way, such as screaming into or punching a pillow - doesn't work. Studies have shown that those who participate in catharsis are more likely to react violently when angered than those who do not express anger at all. So when angry or otherwise upset, by far the best thing to do is to pray or think of a hymn or scripture. Punching things, yelling, or entertaining angry or vengeful thoughts are not helpful. When we exercise patience, it strengthens our character!
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