I counsel you to intolerable patience...
Like Michael Jordan... he was patient with his growth, but intolerable with imperfection. It is said that he shot 1000 free throws every day of his career. Really? At some point, doesn’t a professional athlete say to themselves, “I got this... I know how to shoot a free throw?” Yet Jordan knew that perfection demanded intolerable patience. Intolerable insofar as skills are honed through persistence and a refusal to accept less than the best. Patience insofar as he knew that perfection was achieved over a long period of time without giving up or giving into despair.
In the same way, God is intolerably patient with us. He expects the best from us, and He is intolerant to the slightest sin or imperfection within us. Indeed, all imperfection will be removed from us in this life or in the next through purgatory (See Rev 21:27). But, as Scripture says, “God’s patience is directed toward your salvation” (2 Pet 3:15). God’s patience respects the process of human growth. He is merciful and kind to us. “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering brand he does not quench” (Is 42:3). God will not tolerate sin... but he is patient with the sinner.
In the same way... we also must be intolerably patient with ourselves. Foster a holy-intolerance to sin in your life. Never be complacent with sin. Never give up. Never despair. Jordan shot 1000 free throws a day, intolerant of less than the best. We must reach out to God, even a thousand times a day, to beg His grace for our perfection. Never giving up hope. Never giving in to less. All the while remaining patient with yourselves, too. You are human and, as a human, you are developmental... a work in progress. Humans develop over time, with much effort, through success and failure.
Weakness takes time and God’s grace to overcome. Be patient with yourself, not driving yourself to slavish perfectionism nor hopeless despair. But recognize that, if you keep your ‘eye on the ball,’ over time, with persistence, you WILL come to holiness in cooperation with God’s grace.
In the same way... be intolerably patient with others as well. First and foremost, be patient with others. Give others the benefit of the doubt. “For who among men knows the thoughts of man except the spirit of the man, which is in him” (1 Cor 2:11)? The other’s interior life is a mystery that may be filled with historical pain, exhaustion, or anxiety. You cannot know what is behind their actions, their attitudes, or their words. While this does not excuse evil, it does give us understanding and encourages leniency. As the Golden Rule states: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Then, secondly, in relation to others, only after patient understanding do we then consider the rightness or wrongness of their deeds. Truly, we are intolerant of evil and sin. We are never complacent when it comes to wrongdoing. To the degree a person has authority over another, they are required to encourage holiness, perseverance, and conversion. To the degree we don’t have authority over another we speak when prudent but pray always for conversion. “If you see any brother or sister commit a sin that does not lead to death, you should pray and God will give them life” (1 John 5:16).
In the end... we must be intolerably patient. Be prudent with yourself as well as others. Be intolerable to sin; but patient for conversion. Conversion is a free act. It cannot be coerced either in oneself or others. We are all a work in progress. “Encourage one another daily” (Heb 3:13). Treat yourself and others as God treats you: He guides us to holiness even as he is patient with your weakness.
I counsel you to intolerable patience.
Father Jarrod Lies, Pastor