Developing Tolerance

An important character strength to develop is tolerance – being patient, understanding, and accepting of something different.  We live in a world where there is a mixture of many cultures and behaviours, traditions and beliefs.  The things one family values will be quite different than those of another. For many of us, part of the challenge to be tolerant is learning how to be around others who are at a different place in their life journey than we are in ours. 

Too often we expect others to take our weaknesses into account no matter the impact, or we expect others to  do life in exactly the same way we do. Truth is, we all come into this new life with God from different places on the path.  God loves all of us.  God invites all of us. Jesus paid the price for the wrong of all of us. 

Jesus confronted a group of people, who themselves weren't perfect, yet who were condemning a woman for her wrongs, wanting to stone her to death. His advice to them was:

So he [Jesus] stood up and said to them, “Has any one of you not sinned? Then you be the first to throw a stone at her.” ...Those who heard what he had said began to go away. They left one at a time, the older ones first ... Jesus stood up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Hasn’t anyone found you guilty?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then I don’t find you guilty either,” Jesus said. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” John 8:7-11 

Jesus calls all of us to stop sinning and receive forgiveness.  To show respect and tolerance doesn't hide the need for change but it does help all of us to remember that we are all on equal ground. 

We would do well to focus on making an inventory of our own character defects and simply focus on loving others, blessing them and praying that they will find the forgiveness and healing Jesus is offering them.

Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you. Colossians 3:13

Heavenly Father, at our worst You treated us with compassion and mercy. Help us to walk with respect and humility among others who live and act differently from what we value.  Help us all to come to You for forgiveness and new life and the power to live that new life out with grace and acceptance with whoever we encounter.  Amen

I don’t know about you but there are certain people with certain attitudes and behaviours that I find this very challenging to think about putting into practice.  I need God’s help to even want to try.  How about you?  Will we give God a chance to build this tolerance into our character?