THE STRENGTH THAT BEARS WITH OTHERS

By: Pastor Flávio Macieira - 2025

Day 1 of the "Imperfect Love: Grace for the Relationships That Wear Us Out" series.

Have you ever owned a pair of shoes that, despite being beautiful, had one single point of friction? A little spot that insists on rubbing your heel, turning what should be a pleasant walk into an exercise in irritation and pain. Often, our closest relationships are like this. We love the person, but there's a "friction point"—a habit, an opinion, a way of being—that rubs us the wrong way, day after day. Our natural tendency is to want to throw the shoe away, that is, to distance ourselves from the person. But the Bible offers a stronger, more healing solution.

In a world that encourages us to cut off relationships at the first sign of discomfort, God's wisdom calls us to a more excellent, and admittedly more difficult, path. He begins the recipe for lasting relationships not with feelings, but with an attitude of strength and grace.

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:13 (NLT)

The phrase "make allowance for" or "bear with" can sound passive, as if we are to be doormats for others. But the Greek original is much stronger. It means "to endure," "to be patient with," "to give room to." It is the strength of a pillar holding up the weight of a roof. It is the grace to make room for another's imperfection, to make allowances for their faults and quirks—those "friction points."

Where do we get this superhuman strength? Paul gives us the power source at the end of the verse: "Remember, the Lord forgave you". The foundation for our imperfect love for others is God's perfect and undeserved love for us. He didn't wait for us to become perfect to love us. He loved us in the midst of our mess, with all our points of friction against His holiness. He "bore with" us on the cross.

When we remember the immense patience and grace God has with us, our impatience with others begins to look small. The strength to bear with a spouse's annoying habit or a friend's stubborn opinion doesn't come from our own shallow reserve of patience. It comes from the deep, inexhaustible well of grace we have received from Christ. It is this grace that keeps us from giving up on people at the first sign of discomfort.

Your Next Step of Faith: Today's step of faith is an exercise in perspective. Identify a person in your life who has been a "friction point" for you. Instead of praying for that person to change, pray a different prayer. In your journal, first, list three of your own faults or sins that God has already forgiven. Then, thank Him for "bearing with" you. Finally, ask God to give you a small measure of that same grace to "bear with" that person, just for today.

The Soul Mirror:

1. What "friction point" in a close relationship has been wearing out your patience the most lately?

2. Is it easier for you to remember the faults of others or your own faults that have been forgiven by God?

3. How can remembering Christ's forgiveness transform your reaction the next time that person irritates you?

Let's seek the Lord for the strength to love.

Father, I confess that my patience is short. I am easily irritated by the faults of others and quickly forget my own. Thank you for bearing with me with such a patient and gracious love. Forgive my arrogance and fill me with Your grace. Today, I ask for strength not to change others, but for You to change me. Help me to bear with, to forgive, and to love, just as You first loved me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

The ability to bear with the imperfection of others is born from gratitude for the grace that covers our own.

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