Bearing with One Another

What unlovely people has God planted in your life? What challenging people has He placed in your path? Have you found that while some people in your life are easy to love, others are unlovely, abrasive and not easy to “bear with,” as Scripture encourages us to do? Never wanting to miss an opportunity to instruct His children, is God trying to teach you a lesson about interpersonal relationships? God has a lesson He wants us to learn.

God doesn’t let a day go by that He doesn’t try to teach us something about Himself and our lives in relation to Him. Sometimes we miss the lesson because we are caught up in life, but other times we get His point as clearly as if He were sitting right beside us talking to us out loud.  Sometimes it takes overwhelming circumstances for us to be still long enough to hear His voice. Is God using difficult circumstances or difficult people in your life to get you to listen – to teach you about a right relationship with Him?

What relationships are strained in your life right now? Our home fronts are usually the first to feel the tension of our lives.  Unfortunately, those we love the most often bear the brunt of the frustrations we experience with abrasive people and those unmanageable circumstances in our lives.  When was the last time you took out your frustrations on your spouse? Yesterday? Today? Every day?

This verse tells us to be completely humble and gentle, patient and bear with one another in love.  Whew! This is a big task – gentle and patient, with the people we live with. Praying this verse while on your way home from work or running errands will open you to the well of love the indwelling Holy Spirit provides for each of us. Let Him do mighty things with you. With calm expectancy, watch and see.