By Sue Freer
Read Colossians 3:12-15
Imagine yourself all prepared for selling at a market. You’ve arrived nice and early, so that you will have a low stress day. Everything is set up, laid out nicely and ready for customers. Now picture another vendor turning up late and demanding that you move because you are in her favourite spot (even though you are right where you were told to be.) Moving would mean having to undo all that you’ve done, and then redoing everything all over again! Not only that, but imagine this person being totally obnoxious, demanding that you move, and insisting that you were in her spot! What would you do?
Colossians 3:13 says, “Bear with one another and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
It is difficult to be nice to people who are being horrible to everyone around them… until we remember who we are, and what Christ has done for us.
- Are we perfect? No!
- Do we get things wrong? Yes!
- Did Christ die for us, just as we are? Yes!
When we remember that we have been forgiven much, then it helps us to keep the peace and to forgive others for the way they behave. Being kind to one another is sometimes more important than being right. Being kind and forgiving one another doesn’t only apply to people we get along with, but also people who are being very difficult.