Giving Space: The Grace of Forbearance

Well, it has been an epic week of national events, has it not? I, like most of us, watched with baited breath as the events of Sunday night played out and, by God’s good grace, no one was hurt. I went to a meeting at Hope Presbyterian Church on Monday night with clergy from all over Memphis and was encouraged that there was a spirit of “forbearance” among us. It is interesting that in God’s providence I would be preaching on how we love one another well, at a time when it seems the “center might not hold.”Forbearance is a foundational manifestation of real giving - people forming love. We are all so broken that there is no pursuit in life that we have gone after and achieved which we cannot look at and attribute some of our success to the forbearance of a teacher, coach, parent, mentor, friend, or community of people. Life is hard, relationships are hard, the work and responsibilities God gives each of us are hard. None of us are self made. We need forbearing people to get along in life.Some of us in our community need more forbearance than others. This is true because a lot of people come from less than ideal homes, where the soil was toxic and the relationships poisonous. The way to wholeness and healing for all of us, and especially those who come from abusive backgrounds, is forbearing love.What does that look like? How do we develop this virtue? Is it costly? I can’t answer all of those here, but I will answer the last one - is it costly? Yes, very costly, just look at Jesus. It is about as costly as a cross! But also life giving and freeing! You can’t have one without the other. Join me Sunday and we’ll talk.Blessings,Jim