By Katy Mariotti

Bear with One Another in Love

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Ephesians 4:1-3, English Standard Version

The two kids in today’s picture are my two eldest, shown here sitting quietly next to each other, happily drawing pictures of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.  An idyllic picture!  What angels, right?  If you’d heard the bickering in our house this summer, you would know the truth.

The importance of tone is a lesson we are working hard on right now.  Seemingly harmless phrases, such as “I know,” “I didn’t mean to,” and “come here,” have taken on new meaning because of my children’s tone.  Whining, combative, defensive, condescending: we’ve heard it all.  I feel like I’ve spent the whole summer saying “listen to the difference if I say the exact same words but in a different way.”

It’s common for young siblings to argue, but don’t we all do this?  When we’re feeling tired, frustrated, upset, self-righteous, etc, we can take it out on those around us, even the people we love the most.  When we do this, it passes on our negative feelings to those around us, so now it’s not just us who are suffering but the victims of our tone as well.

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he gives us a higher calling: humility, gentleness, patience, love, and peace.  As I tell my children, we can say the same words with a different tone to accomplish this goal.  It’s not always easy!  It takes self-awareness, sometimes giving ourselves time to take a breath and calm down.  And most importantly, we can pray for the strength and wisdom speak the truth in love, (as stated later in this chapter) rather than giving in to our frustrations.  I pray for that strength and peace for us all today!

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado