| Ephesians 4:2 – “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” |
Sometimes we grow irritated with others. The little things that start to pile up–the comments, quirks, and idiosyncrasies
Life is like a sack into which a single pebble falls. That one pebble doesn’t weigh much so it does not affect the sack.
But continue to drop a single pebble, one after another. Finally, the combined weight of the many pebbles breaks the sack, and you have a mess.
We can stand a few irritations but just like pebbles in a sack, they build and build and build. That’s when the eruption happens.
So how do we handle irritations? Paul used the right word in Ephesians 4.
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2)
I want you to focus on a single word–bearing with. The old word was “forebearance.”
The Greek word means “to hold back.”
It’s what God does with us when we get on his last nerve. He doesn’t throw lightning bolts. Instead, he holds back.
Don’t say what you want to say. Stop, cool down, and hold back.
And it helps to know that people “forebear” with you as well. Irritation is a two-way street, and every household needs a good dose of forbearance
So today…it’s best to reach back to an old word and “forebear” with others in love. It makes the day go so much better.
–Robert G. Taylor
robertgtaylor.com
