(anechomai – endure, take up, puts up with)
Eph 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
Remember the time you got your feelings hurt by someone at church?
Or maybe there was just an annoying sister that got on your last good nerve and rode it all the way down.
Anyway, you might have said to yourself, “I don’t have to put up with the way I am being treated at this church.”
Well… it turns out… you do.
I know. I can’t believe this is even in the Bible! King Jimmy’s version makes it easier to ignore because it’s stated so elegantly – “forbearing one another”.
That phraseology creates a beautiful picture in our mind. We see ourselves holding up a weak brother’s faith so he can continue to fight on. It’s a noble thought and not a bad picture.
The trouble is that it’s not the complete picture that Paul intended.
Modern English: PUT UP WITH one another.
It’s the sticky, enduring, suffering kind of “putting up with” that he is talking about. It is MESSY. It’s all about follow through. Will we commit to sticking with this person until the work is complete? Paul neatly couples that lovely “patient” word in front of it for emphasis.
I have to ask myself, “Am I a support or a column?” when it comes to “Putting Up With” a brother or sister. As a support I can function as a temporary solution until more permanent girding can be found. I question whether I can be a column, a permanent part of the structure in someone else’s life.
This issue of real support is where the body of Christ functions in true community. We come together to communicate and bring a system of care. Some churches are really strong in offering this kind of help. Maybe yours is one of them. I’ve seen three different kinds of crisis to deal with in the church:
- Critical Crisis – there should be immediate consolation & comfort.
- Chronic Crisis – there should be counseling.
- Constant Crisis – well, honestly, there should be confrontation.
Prayer: Jesus, maybe my patience and ability to put up with a sister isn’t where it should be. Would you help me (and I know that means real work involved) to up my game when it comes to supporting and loving fellow believers? Amen