St. Mary's Parish Nurse Ministry Program
Ruth E. Williams, RN, MEPD, MSN

Dear Viewers, In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. " I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry." (Psalm 40:1) At this time of summer, let us focus on the concept of patience and health. Patience is considered a virtue.

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A virtue, according to Webster's Dictionary is general moral excellence or specific moral quality as good. So, how does one keep patience in balance with health? In Romans 15:5 "May God, the source of all patience and encouragement enable you to live in perfect harmony with one another according to the Spirit of Christ Jesus..." The pace of the modern world keeps getting faster and more technological which is suppose to give us more time for ourselves. But, does this extra time save us time or does it give us added stress trying to use up the time? Take driving a car on a busy interstate, behind a slow moving farm vehicle, backed up traffic, highway construction or just trying too hard to get some place faster than usual make positive use of this time? Research studies on blood pressure indicate these conditions lead to raising the blood pressure and cause accidents which injuries can cause life long problems or death. Researchers state that they found a correlation between having a sense of time urgency and impatience (TUI) and an increased risk of developing high blood pressure. (CNN.com) Therefore, compassion, kindness, considering the consequences, non blaming attitude, second thoughts, and leaving earlier are some of the things that can be done to avoid being impatient. Having patience, being a virtue/good, can then lead to better health. "Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, steadfastly in prayer." (Romans 12:12) "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3.6).