One day in February, I got up from bed in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I
had not fully regained consciousness, so it was like sleepwalking. I wanted to position
myself on the toilet seat but ended up on the faucet! The tap was broken, and it was
only by a stroke of luck that more things were not destroyed. When I became fully
conscious of what had happened, I began to think of how I would have reacted had my
wife or son reported that they broke the tap while they tried to use the toilet. I probably
would have rated them as careless.
“When you forbear others, you are giving in advance what you might need someday yourself.”
That experience prompted me to think of how scripture teaches us to forbear with one
another. To begin with, we have this provision because people will fall short of our
standards and expectations. That would generally tend to put a strain on our
interpersonal relationships. Without forbearance, we would not be able to build or
maintain healthy relationships. We may be tempted to lash out prematurely at people or
cut off God-ordained relationships. Through forbearance, we can be forgiving and give
people more opportunities in hope that things will gel ultimately. In our text, Apostle Paul
recommends treating people graciously when they miss the mark, considering our own
frailties as well. When you forbear others, you are giving in advance what you might
need someday yourself.