Happy Wednesday!
I was having trouble deciding what I wanted to write about and looked back at what I wrote on July 6th 2022. As I read it, it dawned on me that as we celebrated America’s 249th birthday Friday, there is no better message I could share. America needs Christians to shine brighter than ever. We can start by showing grace.
July 2022
Lee had an interesting conversation with a friend of ours recently. He had gone on a date with a lady, and she started talking politics. Her ideas about what is right for our country, and his ideas were not the same. He then said something very troubling to me. He said, “I wondered if I should just get up and leave.”
Wow. It showed me just how far we have sunk as a society. When did we get to the point that we can’t have a conversation with someone who thinks differently than we do? When did we become so intolerant?
Webster says tolerance is to allow beliefs, practices, and attitudes that differ from your own. Chuck Swindoll called tolerance “the grace to let others be.” Let me be clear, no where in the definition does it say that we need to “accept” the other person’s beliefs. We just give them the opportunity to believe what they believe.
I have a close friend who has different political views than I do. She knows my beliefs and I know hers. We give each other the freedom to have those beliefs. She also knows that I am a woman of faith, and that faith is something I will not ignore. I want her to know Jesus Christ. I am going to honor her right to believe what she wants to believe, but I pray for her each day and look for opportunities to share Jesus without being judgmental.
Let’s go back to Chuck Swindoll’s definition. “Tolerance is the grace to let others be.” Jesus gives us grace to be who we are, without penalty for our sin. That’s what we should want for others. That is our commission, to bring others to know Jesus so they can experience that grace.
By being tolerant we have the opportunity to show “grace.” Use tolerance as a platform for explaining grace. It sure can’t hurt!
Shine, Shine Shine!
Tina