Have the right aptitude by being“ patient with each other, making allowance for each other’ s faults because of your love”.
ERS
Reversing the role, if you have a complaint or criticism, communicate it with humility, realizing that you do not have a monopoly of truth and you could be wrong. And in all interactions, treat people with kindness and graciousness, remembering that they are made in God’ s image and are no less than you.
Second, have the right aptitude by being“ patient with each other, making allowance for each other’ s faults because of your love”( Eph. 4:2). This addresses the way we approach others. It is not just what to say and do, or how to say and do. It is also about when to say and do. Someone says that“ the hardest test in life is having the patience to wait for the right moment.”
Though some people think that I am a patient person, the truth is that I struggle to be patient. I have to remind myself of the need to be patient if I want to make a real difference in any challenging situation. And over the years, God has sent me people and put me in situations where I have no choice but be patient.
This call to patience is necessary because people around us react and respond differently from us. Some will frustrate you with their slowness. Others don’ t see the point soon enough. Yet others
Have the right aptitude by being“ patient with each other, making allowance for each other’ s faults because of your love”.
won’ t repent quickly enough. Many won’ t serve actively enough. Some will pray too long or not pray enough. And we just want to move fast and efficiently to get things done. Why can’ t they move as fast?
When we feel impatient, we need to remind ourselves that anyone can say he loves others but not everyone can wait to prove that it is true. Waiting is a sign of true love for“ love is patient, love is kind”( 1 Cor. 13:4). Patience requires us to put up with their faults and weaknesses, even as they must put up with ours. While we must firmly confront a brother or sister who sins, there is no need to be confrontational in dealing with quirks and idiosyncrasies of people we love. Patience is the best way to handle these bothersome irritating stuff if we are true to our peacemaking mission.
Peace is indeed a gift from God. Every experience of peace rests, at its base, upon the peacemaking work of Christ on the cross. Knowing peace each day is, therefore, a blessing from God. The Psalmist says as much,“ The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.( Ps. 29:11). As we are blessed, so we bless others. One of the best ways to bless others as God has blessed us is to give others the blessings of peace.
That is the role of the peacemaker.
Dr William Wan, a retired lawyer and pastor, is a pioneer member of the Asian Beacon Editorial Board( in the late 1960s). He is currently the General Secretary of the Singapore Kindness Movement and Chairman of Prison Fellowship Singapore. A grand-dad of three teenagers, he is an ambassador for active aging and is on the board of several nonprofit organisations. He is a published author and speaks and preaches regularly.
ASIAN BEACON 48 # 1 December 2016- January 2017 27