Read: Col. 3:12–15
Christian community sounds wonderful until you add other Christian humans into the equation.
People are difficult, including you (notice how I said you and not we. I’m kidding, it’s not just you, others are difficult too. Notice how I still didn’t admit to being difficult?) We misunderstand one another, disappoint one another, have radically different personalities, backgrounds, expectations, political instincts, habits, preferences, and super-strong opinions about how things ought to be done. This is why Paul’s descriptions of Christian community are so practical. He talks about compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and bearing with one another being the hallmarks of interpersonal Christian relationships.
Those are not qualities required in a community where everyone naturally gets along. They are qualities required in a community made up of actual human beings.
Sunday we imagined what might happen if the church became known for love. That vision requires more than having warm feelings about the abstract idea of “the church.” Love has to survive awkward conversations. It has to survive disappointment. It has to survive generational differences, personality conflicts, and moments when someone says something that makes us wonder whether moving to another state (or country) might be easier.
There is also something important in the phrase bear with one another. Sometimes love means fixing something. Sometimes it means confronting something. Sometimes it means forgiving something. And sometimes it means recognizing that the other person is imperfect, we are imperfect, and life together requires grace. It might not be easy, but we can bear with them.
So my challenge for today is, think about one relationship where irritation has started to replace love. Think about that one, difficult person, like me (There, I said it.) Before trying to change the other person, ask God to show us what patience, humility, forgiveness, or kindness would look like from our side of the looking glass.
Love that only works when everybody behaves exactly the way we want is not much of a love at all. The love of Christ has to be strong enough to survive true community.