Tolerance is something I've struggled with for a long long time. In high school i was always hating on the jocks and preps, and people who conformed to the norms. When I entered college, I judged everyone who got wasted every weekend, and I couldn't stand how slutty some of the girls dressed. I had the wrong attitude for far too long.
Last spring it hit me. I realized that Christians are some of the most judgmental people. How can this be? I had fallen into this same trap. Followers of Christ are called NOT to judge. Jesus himself said "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven". I think we all need to listen to His words here.
Ever since I had this epiphany last spring, I have tried my hardest to respect all people and to love everyone, and it has really has been working out for me. I do not hate anyone anymore. This is coming from a person who used to be extremely cynical, but now I have forgiven everyone and I live a much more enjoyable life.
Try it!
2 comments:
Praise God, brother, I'm glad you reached that place. It's very easy for any of us to be the self-righteous Pharisee rather than the humble tax collector, thanking God that we are not like the groups of people we dislike, when what we should really be doing is acknowledging our sin before God. Self-righteousness comes very easy, whether we are "liberal," "conservative," "progressive," or anything else.
Nice topic, Ral. Let's not forget the other side of the coin, however. Judging others, condeming others - they are matters of the heart. We certainly are not to think of ourselves as better than others and we must realize that we are all sinners. However, we are not to tolerate sin itself!! God hated sin so much that he had His son killed for us!! So, let's love one another, but let's not tolerate sin; let's continue to show/tell our brothers and sisters of this world how God wants us to live and let's do our part to help steer others that fall away back to God. Unfortunately, some in this world take this action as a sign of us judging others, but really we are loving them in this way. Finally, let's pray that there will be someone there to do the same when we stray away, which we will from time to time.
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