Tolerance and acceptance. Two words I think at some point in our lives we struggle with. I came across two I think best fit what I have been thinking about.
Psalms 105:5- Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.
1 Timothy 1:15- Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
Ill be honest I have a hard time accepting some people and their actions. Maybe its more their actions than it is them. Sometimes its hard for me to separate the sin from the person or the action from the person. For me this occurs with not just people I know but also people I don't know.
Why is it that as Christians we can be so intolerant and so unaccepting of others? Even people in our own families. Maybe more so of the people we are closest to. I have people I know that sometimes I cant even stand to be in the same room with because of their actions. I know this is not a Christian attitude and lately I have been really struggling with this. Most of the time its something the person is doing or has done that I am unaccepting of. These things range from the way they act to the things they believe.
I find that I am not very accepting or tolerant of things I do not understand. This also varies depending on the person and the situation. There are members of my own family that I don't like to be around because I do not accept their situation. I am ashamed to admit that. I am writing this with the hopes that through talking about it and prayer maybe I can move past it. There are days I don't want to go to church because I don't want to see certain people. These people are a distraction to me during service and I find it hard to be the kind of Christian that I want to be. I know this is Satan's way of keeping me from worshipping but ignoring it is easier said than done. I am aware of it and that makes it that much harder.
Michael and I both are at pivotal points in our lives. We seem to be at a fork and although we both want to take the path to God somehow we keep going down the wrong path. Feeling judged about this hasn't been helping us. Sometimes I think we should just move somewhere where no one knows us and we could start over. I know with much prayer and Bible study we will get back to the right path. For now I have to immerse myself in God and try to shut out the thoughts Satan keeps putting in my head in regards to others and their lives. I just need to live my life and worry about my own problems.
That is the best thing. Live your own life, as we say in Al-Anon "work your own program". Concentrate on what you all want for your own lives, not worrying about other people and their opinions. Be spiritual doesn't mean just going to church. It is loving God, praying daily and meditating on His word and His path for your life.
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