“BEAR with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
~Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
I have read this verse many times. My eyes have always fallen on the last part, about forgiving. And that part is nothing to sneeze at. The art of extending forgiveness takes serious guts. I would count it as one of the hardest skills I’ve ever had to learn. But it’s important, foundational and can revolutionize lives.
Recently the word ‘bear’ caught my eye. Bears are known for protecting their territory. Equipped with claws that can tear, teeth that puncture, substantial weight, and surprising speed and agility, bears know a thing or two about safeguarding. Their loyalty to their own knows no bounds. Mama bears, of course, are famous for this.
Would it surprise you to know that bears have almost no predators? Their design makes their biggest enemy other bears. That’s ironic, folks. Because it reminds me a lot of us, the sons and daughters of the King of all creation. We sure know how to cause strife and dissention with each other, don’t we? This isn’t to say that we aren’t also fearfully and wonderfully made, beloved and shining cities perched atop hills. We most certainly are. But my Father made sure that we had a path to follow when the grievances came. He knew it wasn’t a matter of if, but WHEN the grievances and disputes would begin. It didn’t take long for Cain to plot the first murder. Praise God for the master plan that would save us from ourselves and all our missteps. Sweet friends, what if we preferred each other with as much ferociousness as your average bear? What if we protected and covered one another that way? Wouldn’t that preference and favor make forgiving that much easier?
Recently my family encountered an unexpected and heartbreaking challenge. It was 76 days of gut-wrenching, bring-you-to-your-knees attack. I’ll tell you all about it sometime. Over coffee. Lots of coffee. We never lost hope of deliverance. And in those moments when we were tempted to forget, we had a small but powerful group of people circling us. Oh, you guys. How they charged the enemy for us, stormed the gates of Heaven in the name of Jesus, on our behalf. They texted and called every day, all of them. They sent verses that were always exactly on time and perfect. They sat next to us as the tears dropped onto the collar of our shirts and cried too. Our friends offered wise counsel. Even now, they’ve continued to cover us, keeping the enemy at bay and ensuring that healing can come full circle. There are few things as precious as a gathering of saints who bear with you in all-out, unreserved, unrestricted, unconditional love.
Who has God GIVEN to you to BEAR with? A spouse you love….children you adore…a church family….Pastors, friends, extended family. I have all of those. And I want to hold onto them with bear-sized hands, swatting away the Enemy and his schemes, declaring them precious blessings in my life. Worthy of all necessary forgiveness and committing to bear with them for the glory of my Father, who always bears with me. When the enemy stalks and challenges lurk, bearing with one another is a command from the One who designed us to withstand the onslaught together.
Bearing with all of you,
Mande