It’s very often difficult to be patient with ourselves. There are so many changes that we want to make. We read self-help books and articles, we look at social media posts about self-improvement, and we feel an urgent need—sometimes even pressure— to make big changes very fast.

But big changes are better made slowly. It usually takes weeks to build just one new habit, and important changes are generally based on a series of new habits, so if we rush to make dramatic changes we won’t have a solid foundation. We have to be patient in order to do it right, building one habit at a time over a course of months and even years.

That sounds like just another change to make, right? And it’s overwhelming sometimes to think of what we need to do…easier just to quit making any effort. But let’s not give up; let’s begin learning patience with ourselves by thinking about God’s great patience with us, which is based on great love for us. It’s hard to be patient with someone you don’t love, so we can start by asking God to teach us how to truly love ourselves. Patience will follow that new love.