Ephesians 4:2 NLT Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
1. Humble
By very definition, humble is:
having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.
We are not suggested to be humble on Monday, Wednesday or Friday’s. It’s not suggested just when you feel good about yourself. It’s not suggested when things are going your way. It is an actual command and the word is ALWAYS. It isn’t always easy, but it is necessary. It is probably easier to do if you do follow the next step:
2. Gentle
Imagine you are holding a newborn baby. One place you probably wouldn’t take that baby with you would be on a roller coaster ride. If you came upon a huge snarling dog on a weak looking rope, you probably wouldn’t start messing with that dog and provoking it at all. The key word here in those situations is gentle.
(of a person) mild in temperament or behavior; kind or tender.
The more gentle we are, the easier it is to be humble. The two go hand in hand and if you do those two things first, the next step can be even easier:
3. Be Patient
There are a ton of example of patience in the bible. These are examples I try to activate in my life on a daily basis.. HOWEVER, it’s not always easy 🙂 Ever been on hold for 45 minutes and then mysteriously get disconnected? Ever stood in line at the DMV for an hour or so only to find out they want different paperwork than what you have? Ever been with a bunch of kids.. all day….. alone? 🙂 You get the idea. No one is perfect, but if we live in a place of humility and gentleness, it can really set the stage for the mood in the room.
able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.
I love that this definition says “able”.. it doesn’t start off with “always able” 🙂 I do believe there is room there, but there should be a standard. Are you able to tolerate things without becoming annoyed or anxious? If the answer is no more than yes, perhaps you really need to work on the first two steps. The only way to really get to the allowance part of a position of grace, humility, gentleness and patience is through:
4. Love
Coming from a posture of love is the main key to all of this. Love meaning an open armed, undemanding, pure and selfless attitude. Are you a person that others consider a person of love? It can make a huge difference. It provides an allowance from so many different directions. The allowance you give, the allowance others give you and the allowance God blesses you with.
I want to encourage you today to be a person of allowance. A person who allows for the faults and issues of others. Allowance doesn’t mean approval, there is a difference. I allow my son to make mistakes. I expect that from those mistakes, he makes an effort to correct. If we desire that kind of posture from others, we must be willing and able to give it ourselves. I hope that this exercise will help you to do just that.. and in the midst of it all, when it is tough to do.. just remember to lean on Christ, trust and follow His Word, and never, never forget… #GodsGotThis