Five Fall Favorites: Patience

Welcome back to the Five Fall Favorites blog party!

Today we’re diving into what is may be the least-glamorous of all the virtues. Any guesses?

“The fruit of the Spirit is . . . longsuffering . . .” – Galatians 5:22

That’s right! Longsuffering—or patience—is a fruit of the Spirit, too. When I think about patience, I think about the tedious feeling that used to build up inside my stomach as I sat through a long sermon as an elementary-age student. Not the happiest sensation on the planet!

The good news is, books about patience can still be fun. Here are my top five for you to explore today.

Jack and Jill

By Louisa May Alcott

The patient little invalid who suffers a debilitating spinal injury and becomes the sunbeam and angel of the family—it’s one of the most classic of classic Victorian tropes. Except maybe when the little invalid is anything but a patient angel . . .

Although less widely-known than Little Women or Eight Cousins, this “village story” about a pair of high-spirited, active children whose winter is turned upside down by a sledding accident is delightfully characteristic of Louisa May Alcott at her best—writing everyday adventures about everyday, likeable children. Notwithstanding Jill’s restless nature, this is a story about patience—patience not as a gift but as a hard-won grace.

The Lost Clue

By Mrs. O. F. Walton

The Lost Clue is, hands down, my favourite of Mrs. O. F. Walton’s vintage novels. I love the vivid Edwardian details. I love the gentle but perfectly finished characterization. And most of all I love the cheerfulness and courtesy with which the hero and heroine face circumstances that call for an enormous dose of patience and courage.

Sometimes carrying on faithfully when hope seems to have vanished into monotonous darkness takes pretty much the highest level of fortitude. Kenneth and Marjorie have that kind of fortitude—and it’s what makes this book not only an inspiring but a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Wherever He Leads

By Rebekah A. Morris

I love this story so much! I’ve read it three or four times since I bought it a tiny bit more than a year ago.

As my sisters can confirm, I am a sucker for really sweet, really clean, second-chance romance. But that’s only part of the reason Wherever He Leads has become one of my comfort food books.

So many single girls in their late twenties/thirties can relate to Kylie’s struggles as she looks at her life vs. the life she dreamed of living. We all need patience as we wait to follow where God leads—and this is a story that combines patience, laugher, and encouragement to put Him first, whatever stage of life you’re in right now.

The Pillars of the House

By Charlotte Mary Yonge

The joke with this one just might be that it not only models patience in terms of the characters and their circumstances, but it also requires patience—or at least commitment—on the part of the reader, too. At just over 1200 pages, (yes, you read that right: not words—pages,) Pillars of the House is anything but a quick light read.

However, if you are a genuine lover of authentic Victorian daily life, this lengthy chronicle of thirteen siblings and their struggle to build a successful life in “reduced circumstances” is truly a story you won’t want to miss.

The self-sacrificing patience of the main characters, blended with delightful character development, lots of laughter, and some really deep lessons about putting home duties first even when they’re anything but glamourous, combines to make this one of the most thoroughly Victorian novels you will ever find.

Jeremiah Learns to Read

By Jo Ellen Bogart

How much patience does it take to learn to read? How much patience does it take to learn to read—when you’re already a grandparent?

In this beautifully illustrated picture book, Jeremiah takes us on a remarkable journey of humility and persistence as he reaches for a dream he’s never been given the opportunity to pursue.

Just because Jeremiah has never learned to read doesn’t mean he’s willing to accept the verdict that he’s too old to try. If schoolchildren can learn, then so can Jeremiah—given enough patience, perseverance, and love.

Those are my Five Fall Favorites—What About Yours?

As I grew from a child to a teen, and then from a teen to an adult, the proportion of Sunday mornings that dragged out that tedious “patience” feeling proportionately decreased. Did I genuinely become more patient—or just more engaged in what was going on? Is the difference between the two actually as great as it might seem?

I don’t think I have time—or maybe patience???—to delve to the bottom of that one today.

For now, I’d love to hear about your favourite patience books. (There I go with that “u” again!)

As always, don’t forget to hop over to Once Upon An Ordinary. There’s lots more fall fun still going on!

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• Five Fall Favorites: Kindness →