Patience & the Testimonies

Patience & the Testimonies By: Evelyn C. Pointer

Patience had an excellent memory. She could always recite her memory verses with no problem. She memorized long passages of scriptures. By the time she was six she had memorized the commandments, and the testimonies and all of the books in the bible. She knew Psalms 91 by heart since she was five. The 23rd Psalms when she was three. In school it was no different. She won the spelling bee, and she made straight A’s. So she couldn’t understand what was wrong with her twin brothers, James and John. They were six years old and couldn’t remember anything!

Her parents had been rehearsing with them for months now. All they had to do was remember the testimonies! They got it all mixed up. Their parents had to help them every Sabbath, in front of everybody! Could it be? No! She couldn’t think that about them, they were bad and awful, but they were her little brothers.

But could it possibly be that they were dumb? Patience shook that thought away. How could they be dumb? Her parents were smart, and she was smart, so they had to be smart, right? And they didn’t even seem to care. They just punched each other and made faces and pretended they were passing gas. Sometimes it wasn’t just pretence. Gross!

After another Sabbath where Patience was embarrassed, (John: Blessed are the peace breakers for they shall have mercy…. And then James: Uh,uh,uh Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall have uh, uh uh. And then Sister Dinah saying loudly, well let’s give them a hand. Good try boys, good try!), Patience decided that she would try to help them herself.

It didn’t work out so well. They didn't want her help. They wanted to wrestle, and watch Sponge Bob! Even on Friday night when they knew they had to go to church the next day, they still just wanted to play. She tried to appeal to their sense of pride, to

their sense of right and wrong, to no avail. Patience decided to appeal to her mother. “Mom, what’s wrong with James and John?” she asked. “What do you mean?” her mother said. Didn’t her mother notice? “How come they can’t learn the testimonies? All they want to do is play!” “Yes, I know” her mother sighed. “They just need more time, they’re only six.” “I knew them at that age.” she said. “Well, yes you did, but your brothers are not you!” She went on saying how boys sometimes took a little longer than girls at first, and how she was sure that they would catch on any time now, and how we have to be patient with them because they were just six, and remember they were born a little early… and blah, blah, blah, all of the usual excuses about the twins and their behavior. “But, Mom,” Patience said, “they act like they’re….” “Like what? Like they’re what, Patience?” Unfortunately for Patience she missed the warning look in her mother’s eyes. “like they’re dumb!”she said. “Patience! How dare you call your brothers dumb!

I have never had a dumb child! You think you’re so smart? There’s a lot you need to know!” “Well mom I knew all of the beatitudes when I was six.”Patience said. “There is more to knowing something than memorizing,” her mother said. “It doesn’t mean anything to know what something is, unless you understand what it means!”

Later on that week, her mother decided to prove a point with Patience. She quizzed her on the meaning of each of the testimonies during vesper Friday night. Her father looked on smiling unaware of why there was tension between his two favorite girls, as he called them, and the twins looked on hoping to see Patience fail at something for a change. But Patience had done more than just memorize. She actually listened some of the time to the sermon and the testimonies at church. And she listened all of the time to what her parents said, and watched what they did. Somehow all of this soaked into her without her even trying.

“OK Patience, you know we’ve been teaching your brothers the testimonies for a while now, I’d like you to tell all of us what each of them mean!” Her mother said in a firm way. “Ha! Ha!” her brother James said in a way that sounded just like Bart Simpson.

“Yeah, Ha, Ha,” her brother John always followed James in any mischief. “Shut up boys and listen, your sister can teach you something.” Her father said.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit. It means to share!” Patience said.

“Is that all?” her mother said. “Well, I heard you talking to Auntie Gina about how the rich people want to keep all the money and don’t want to give anything to the poor. I guess if you’re poor in spirit, you don’t care about having riches so you don’t mind sharing. It’s like, it’s like you don’t be covetous.”Patience thought it through. Though her mother was trying to teach her a lesson she couldn’t help being proud of how bright and perceptive Patience was. She had to fight to keep from grinning. Patience’s father did not hold back. “Woa, listen to the girl, this is our daughter! Baby you’re smart just like your mother!” His face was lit up with a brilliant smile, all teeth! The dimple in Patience’ right cheek came out. “OK, Patience let’s go on.” Her mother said.

“Blessed are they that mourn,” she recited. “It means to be sad about something. Mom, you’re always sad when anything bad happens to somebody, especially when it happens to somebody in our family or in the church.” “Is that it?” her mother asked.

“Well, on atonement we have to fast and pray, and if we do wrong we have to repent. Pastor Thomas said we have to cry to the Lord, and the Lord will hear us.” “Very, good Patience, keep going.”Her mother said. “OK, Blessed are the meek means to be humble, not to have pride and to control your temper. Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness, well that’s what we’re doing now, it means to study the bible and to serve the Lord and worship him.

Blessed are the merciful, it means to have compassion and pity on someone even if they’ve done something mean to you, and to help the poor. Blessed are the pure in heart means to give your heart to God and to obey him and not get mixed up with bad things in the world. Blessed are the peacemakers, means to try to stay out of confusion or fighting, and to try to get along with people.” She looked at her brothers pointedly, her parents pretended not to notice. The twins were always fighting. “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake, and blessed are ye when men shall revile, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely….well the last two are talking about how people may mistreat you because you believe in the truth. They may talk about you and make you feel bad. But God is going to bless you.”

“Excellent, excellent job Patience,” her father said. “Didn’t she do a good job honey?” He said to Patience’s mother. “Yes she did,” her mother said. “a very good job. You memorized the testimonies and you understand the meaning. Patience, has anyone ever persecuted you for righteousness sake?” Patience pointed to her brothers. “They make fun of me all the time.” “I’m not talking about that! I mean has anyone ever mistreated you for obeying the Lord?” Patience thought for a minute. She had a lot of friends. She was smart in school, and good at track and she was the best in dance class. Her mother knew her teacher and always explained to them if there was something that Patience couldn’t do. Her best friend was Daisha, and she lived on her street.

Except for her brothers, things were pretty good for her. “I don’t know, I don’t think so.” Patience said. “Well, Patience is generous,” her father said. He always took up for Patience.

“Remember she gave some of her clothes and her toys to the Smith family when their house burned down?” Her father said to her mother. “And we never have to go to the school because she’s gotten in any trouble. She studies her bible lesson, you know she does. And I see what her brothers do.

She even tries to keep them from getting in trouble. She protects them.” “I know that Patience is very good, but I want her to be like her name. I want her to have even more patience with her brothers. Patience is doing well, but she hasn’t been tested.” Her mother said to her father. She was in serious teacher mode now. She turned again to Patience. “Patience you know and understand, but you also have to live in the testimonies and it has to be tested. One day something is going to happen that will make it hard for you to do what’s right. Somebody is going to hurt your feelings or try to fight you, and you’re going to want to do something to get them back. If you can keep the testimonies then….well, you truly know the testimonies. And don’t worry about your brothers. They are me and your dad’s responsibility. We’ll get them in line. They’re just a little spoiled.”

A few weeks later Patience came to remember everything that her mother said. Patience took modern dance at school. She was naturally graceful and a gifted dancer. In fact she was the best in her class. There were dance competitions. Her dance troupe had won all of the city wide competitions largely because of Patience.

She practiced everyday for an hour after school. All of the girls were excited. Her best friend’s mother was making costumes for the next competition. This time they were competing in the regionals! Every year it was held on the first Sunday of May. Two weeks before the competition her dance instructor came to tell them about a change in the date. Because scheduling problems, the competition would be held on the first Saturday instead. It would still be wonderful. They would all be taken in a bus and stay overnight in a hotel. And since they didn’t have to go to school the next day, they were going to go to the movies and to a restaurant for lunch on Sunday. “It’s going to be great!” her teacher said.

“We’re going to have so much fun!” Yay! Everybody cheered.

Everybody that is, except Patience. “What’s wrong, Patience?”

Daisha whispered.

“It’s on Saturday, I go to church.” “So? I go to church on Sunday and I go every year.” “But my parents…they’re not gonna let me go.” “You have to go! You’re the best dancer!”Daisha said out loud.

“What is it girls?” asked Miss Simmons the dance teacher.

“Patience said her parents won’t let her go on Saturday because she goes to church!” Daisha said in front of everybody. Everybody turned to look at Patience their mouths round and frowns on their faces. Patience wished she could run away and hide. Her face grew warm, she couldn’t say anything. “That’s not fair!” “We need Patience!” “That don’t make no sense!” ”Why can’t you go?” “This sucks! Patience, you gotta go!”All of the girls in the dance class began to shout at once. “Girls, girls, calm down, I’m sure when Patience’s parents understand how important this is they’ll make an exception just this once. They wouldn’t want Patience to let everybody down after all of your hard work. That wouldn’t be right. I’ll call your mother Patience.” Miss Simmons said. Her words sounded OK, but she looked very concerned and very annoyed. Patience knew that nothing that Miss Simmons said would convince her parents to allow her to break the Sabbath.

Miss Simmons called Patience’s mother that evening. It went exactly like Patience knew it would. She made it quite clear that Patience would not be able to attend. “We have to obey the Lord.

I’m sorry this happened, but everyone has to make a sacrifice some times.” Patience could tell that her mother felt really bad for her, but she couldn’t help but cry. She knew that none of her friends would understand, except maybe her best friend. Daiasha had been her best friend since kindergarten. Their mothers were friends too, and her religion had never made any difference before. In fact, Daiasha had come to church with her a few times.

She seemed to enjoy herself too.

On the next day at school, some of the girls kept looking at her and whispering and laughing. When she went to sit with Daiasha at lunch she walked away from her and went to sit at another table.

She tried to talk to Daiasha after school. “Hey Daiasha, what you want to do today?” “We have another rehearsal today, but you don’t have to come cause you’re not coming to the competition. My mother said that your parents are taking things too far. My mother said it’s ridiculous that they won’t let you go. She said that your parents are just being selfish!” The other girls came closer giggling. They wanted them to fight. “That’s right, they’re just being selfish trying to ruin things,” Bonilla said. “You don’t go to a real church anyway.” “Yes,” said Pauline “Don’t nobody want to go to your church anyway. You think you too good. Like you better than everybody else. My mother said you all are just weird!”

Patience just stood there and didn’t say anything. She didn’t defend her beliefs and she didn’t fight back. It was as if she was frozen. Worse still, she felt hot tears beginning to well up in her eyes. She wished she could disappear. “And my mother said you don’t have to worry about coming to my birthday party, ‘cause it’s gone be on Sa-tur-day!” Daiashia shouted drawing out the word Saturday. Then they all laughed. Patience turned around and ran all of the way home.

Patience went straight to her room and shut the door. She lay on the bed with the covers over her head crying. Her mother came in. “Baby, what’s wrong? Why are you crying, did somebody hurt you.” She pulled Patience in her arms. “No mom, it’s just that…it’s just that….the competition, I can’t go and …..Daisha and everybody are mad at me….and” she couldn’t go on and broke down crying. Her mother just held her and tried to comfort her for a long time. When she looked up she saw her mother looking hurt and angry at the same time. Tears were coming from her eyes too.

“Patience, I hate what those nasty children are doing to you. They are just ignorant.

I would have rather it happened to me than to you. I’d do anything to keep you from being hurt. But it’s just not possible in this world. I want you to remember that they hurt the prophets, they killed them too, and they killed Jesus. It’s OK to cry, but I want you to know that what we do in our family, how we believe is right.

You do know that don’t you sweetheart?” “Yes mom, but I thought they were my friends. And Daisha, she started it.” “Well Patience, Daisha was always jealous of you. You’re smarter and more talented, and if I may say so, much prettier than she is.

Sometimes when people are jealous of you, when they get a chance, they’ll try to hurt you. Daisha is not a true friend.” “I don’t want to go back to school, mom! I hate them, I hope they lose!” Patience was beginning to get angry. “You don’t hate anybody Patience, that’s wrong. Don’t let these horrible girls turn you into someone as bad as they are. You are going back to school and you’re going to hold your head up. You did nothing wrong. I’m going to have a talk with that Miss Simmons and the principal.

Thank goodness we have freedom of religion still in this country.”

“But that may make everything worse mom,” Patience said.

“Honey, you’re not in this alone. You’re my child. The teachers need to know how you’re being treated. It’s not good to keep them in the dark. Daisha’s mother called me, I know where Daisha gets it from. Don’t worry about that girl or her mother. And Patience,” her mother continued as she rose from the bed and began walking to the door. “You know what the bible says. Don’t try to get back at them. You treat them in the way that you would like to be treated. Try to avoid any fights. Let an adult know if things are getting bad. Your father and I are always on your side.”

After Patience’s mother talked to Miss Simmons and the principal, they had a talk with all of the girls and told them if they picked on Patience then nobody would be going to the competition. The girls in the dance class still would not speak to

or play with Patience. But a couple of other girls and some of the boys were still nice to her. Patience decided not to go back to the dance class. She decided to play soccer after school. She wasn’t that good, but she still had fun.

They lost the competition. The girls looked at Patience. Daisha rolled her eyes. Patience walked on with Casey and Dwayne. They were going to play soccer.

A month later Patience heard that Daisha had been hurt in a car accident. She was going to be away from school for three months.

Her teacher asked Patience, since she and Daisha were supposed to be friends, if she would take her school work to her on the way home every day. Patience took a deep breath. “Yes, ma’am.” This was not going to be easy.

“Here, Daisha,” Patience said, as she handed her the schoolwork.

“Mrs. Smith said it’s due back by the end of the week.” “Thanks Patience.” “Does it hurt?” Patience asked looking at the cast on her leg. “Sometimes, but my mother gives me pain medicine.”

“Well, I hope you feel better soon. I gotta go!” “Hey Patience, you want to stay and watch tv with me?” Daisha asked. “I’m sorry, I promised I would play with my brothers after school today while my mother paints.” She said. “Thanks so much Patience,” said Daisha’s mother, “it’s hard for me to get to the school, I don’t want to leave Daisha at home by herself. I really appreciate it.

Come by anytime now. Tell your mother I said Hi.” When Patience got home she told her mother what happened. Her mother just smiled and hugged her. “I think you can teach your brothers the testimonies, in fact you could teach a lot of people the testimonies. I am so proud of you.” Patience ran up the stairs

“OK John and James, I’m the monster and I’m gonna find you!

Roar! I’m coming! You better hide!” She heard laughter and feet running. Her little brothers may be wild, but they were a lot of fun!

The End!