Patience. A virtue?

Patience.  What to say about patience?  Certainly plenty has been made of patience.  It's widely known as a virtue.  Does anyone know where that nugget of wisdom comes from?  No?  Well then, walk yourself over to that arbiter of all things true on the interwebs, Wikipedia, to get the truth behind the statement: "Patience is a virtue."

If you clicked on the link above and read it, did you notice a couple of the things that I did?  Things that should make you question the virtue of patience.  Like the following:

• It comes from a phrase in a fifth century poem entitled "Psychomachia."  Umm, what good has ever come from anything associated with the word 'psycho?'  Aside from Jamie Lee Curtis ('A Fish Called Wanda' Jamie Lee, not the creepy, poopy Activia Jamie Lee) who emerged from the loins of "Psycho" star and she-who-would-never-take-a-shower-again Janet Leigh, that would be nothing.
• It is one of the teachings of some nerd icon from the dorkfest that is "Dungeons and Dragons."  And really, what good has ever come from that?

Those two things alone make me question the tenet that patience is a virtue.  Perhaps, and I'm going out on a limb here, I'm a little sensitive to the whole 'patience' thing right now.  Being out of work, or as I like to describe it that I am currently unencumbered, is doing a number on my patience.  I've been very fortunate to have a great network of colleagues who are looking out for me and that I've had several good potential opportunities and a number of interviews already.  In this economy, that's a good thing.  I'm struggling with the fact that things aren't moving at the pace I would prefer.  Hence, my challenge with patience.  And you know, in my heart of hearts, I understand that this life is all about being tested, learning, and growing.  This episode in my life is one of those testing/learning/growing moments.  The Apostle James wrote:

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

There's some wisdom in that single sentence.  James packed a lot of wisdom into his brief writings.  This is one of his teachings that I am holding close.  Good things will come.