They Call This a "Guest Post"...

So I think in the blogosphere, they call this a "link-up" and it's supposed to send "traffic" from one person's blog to another.  The lexicon surrounding blogging is MIND-BLOWING, but I digress...

I wanted to point y'all to Lori's blog where she has posted her thoughts from Ephesians 4.  She also has a whole quilting tutorial on there if you are super-motivated and have some free time!

We'd love to hear from more of you- link us to your blog, comment, or email one of us & we'll get your impressions out there to encourage others.

We'll be at my house this week- call or message for directions!

Bear with Me, Please

Be completely humble and gentle;  be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Ephesians 4:2

This is not the only time we are encouraged to bear with one another.  We are also told to  bear with one another in Colossians and I have to tell you they really weren't my favorite verses.  I am being called to yet another higher standard.  Not only do I have to love my brothers and sisters but also I need to bear with them.  This means that when my feelings are hurt, when I am inconvenienced by somebody elses short comings, offended by a thoughtless word, or I am in the company of someone whose mood is less than pleasant I have to put up with them.  I need to love them even then, in all their prickly-ness.  This is not just loving, but loving unconditionally.

A few days ago when I came across this verse again, I just about skimmed over it with 'yeah, yeah, I got it' running through my brain. But God didn't leave me in my shallow thinking and I felt compelled to take a closer look.   The first part of the verse says be completely humble.  So this is when irritation is overcome by understanding. (or perhaps if I am going to be completely honest with you, arrogance is overcome by humility).  Humility calls us to remember that we are no better than anyone else.  In fact, when we are humble and take an honest look at ourselves we have a greater awareness of our flaws and it makes it easier to extend grace and to be gentle in our judgment and treatment of others.  We remember that we are simply fellow sinners in need of grace.

Althought it is a simple conclusion that you have probably already drawn for yourself, for me it comes down to this.   If I am brutally honest with myself, bearing with my brothers and sisters is not a lot to ask when I think about how often they bear with me.