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Bearing With One Another


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

          In writing, lists can be presented in arbitrary order, in order from most to least important, or in order from least to most important. In Hebrew poetry, at least, the convention was to go from least to most important. Doctrine shouldn’t be set that bearing with one another in love is more important than being completely humble and gentle, but the argument should be made that the statement leads up to bearing with one another in love. The preceding matter expresses the (not exhaustive) components of the full command.
          Part of the reason I tend to withdraw from people and relationships is that I know myself to be difficult to love. Another reason is that you are difficult to love. Both of us may say, “No, I’m easy to love, all you have to do is… give me everything I want, do what I want you to, don’t try to change me, and – if we argue - eventually conceded that I’m right!” But don’t concede too quickly because then I’ll think you think I’m a wimp and you’re humoring the idiot. What could be simpler? 
          If we’re honest, we’ll admit that there are times when we’re less than lovable and less than loving. It is in those moments when we want others to bear with us in love, and it is in those moments when others are not lovable that we most need to bear with them in love.

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