Breakfast at Tiffany's ~ Tolerance and Forbearance

Greetings Dear Reader,

These two words, Tolerance and Forbearance can actually be synonyms.  The shade of meaning matters greatly in learning to celebrate our differences and what we have in common.  If I am to live in peace with all men, I must understand and apply that shade of difference.

The primary thing for which I must seek is that narrow space between understanding and justification.  It is the valley between expectation and patience.  The difference lies in the chasm that is a gap between who I am and who others are.

The vastness that separates us is largely due to Christ-followers failing to apply the love of Jesus to their expectations of those who do not follow him.  We are asked by the world to be tolerant of all things.  The Father asks that in love we forebear all things.  He asks that in patience we do not expect those who do not believe to act as if they do.

It is not loving or kind to demand that others do what we can only do by the power of the Holy Spirit.  It is not the path of peace to ask others to do what they cannot possibly do.  This thinking leads to pride and arrogance.  It leads to us thinking that we are better than those who do not share our faith.  The moment we think that we are violating the core of what we believe.  Our ability to do anything good comes from the grace and mercy of the Father through our faith in Christ.

We must, however, be forbearing.  I must love and value everyone because the Father does.  It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that can do this.  My thoughts, feelings, and actions must reflect this in a way that even if I disagree on something huge, there is no doubt in others that I love them. 

All of the things we do relative to the world around us must reflect the love of Christ.  We must be secure in our faith and from that security not place behavioral or philosophical expectations on those who do not share it.  We do not have to agree, tolerate, or refrain from resisting what we know to be wrong.  We do, however, have to maintain our truth and action in a way that does not violate our love for those with whom we disagree.

This means that we must be models of kindness, grace, mercy, and charity.  I have to be the first to care for others no matter how much I disagree with their life choices.  A great path to this is seeking out the ways in which we agree.  I have to see the value in others and embrace it with love.  If I embrace this attitude, I can avoid being offended and allow the Father to focus on the wrong.  I can do my part and show love to those who disagree with the Father.  It is not my place to judge and condemn others.  It is my duty to love all humans like Father does and find in them that which the Father loves.  It is in this that I can find the forbearance to wait as he draws them to himself.   It is the love and forbearance that will create a path to peace, Dear Reader.

Prayer of Saint Francis – Sarah McLachlan

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Every human story is part of the great story that leads to the Father getting everything back to Good.

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“Where there is hatred, let me sow love.”  -  Prayer of Saint Francis