Good morning. When Pam and I were married on the last day of August, we moved into a little house in Akeley, MN. She worked in Walker, while I commuted to Bemidji where I attended college. Before long, it was approaching the end of November and Pam had volunteered to provide the turkey for the Harris family Thanksgiving feast at my parent’s home in Nevis. Her instructions were clear enough, “On your way home today pick up a turkey for Thanksgiving. Make sure it’s a big one.” Naturally, I said that wouldn’t be a problem. But, well, you know, things happen.
On my way home I saw several cars gathered and realized they were holding an auction. I had time, so I stopped to see what they had to sell. Low and behold, there was a cage to the right of the sales platform holding a turkey! It was beautiful. It was the biggest turkey I had ever seen by far, and it wasn’t one of those white birds, but was brilliant in all natural colors. Outstanding! Boy, would Pam be surprised!
I got home before she did and put the turkey in a very large cardboard box and placed it in the middle of the kitchen floor. When she arrived and entered our house, she was understandably curious about the big box in the middle of the kitchen. I told her it was a surprise and that she needed to open it. Even though we hadn’t been married very long, she was wary of my “surprises.” Carefully, she pulled the lid apart to look inside. At that moment the turkey decided it might have a chance to get out of the box, and well…you could say a bit of a ruckus ensued.
After we had captured and secured the beast, Pam gave me one of those “wife looks.” You know, the kind that can peel paint. She explained in a rather determined voice that the only turkey she was interested in was the kind that arrived in her kitchen fully frozen.
Our marriage survived. The turkey did not, but made it to the center of our table for Thanksgiving. It turned out that the reason it was so huge was because it was old. Because it was old, it was tougher than shoe leather. I believe I made a joke about having provided the first turkey jerky for a Thanksgiving, but no one seemed to think it was funny. Imagine.
The Harris family Thanksgiving for that year survived just fine. Fortunately, there was plenty to eat besides the Methuselah of turkeys. To tell you the truth, if I were to list the unfortunate choices I have made through the years, this wouldn’t make the top ten (probably not the top 100.) I would imagine that most if not all of us can relate to that reality. Making poor choices from time to time seems to be a part of life lived with others.
The reason I relate this rather unfortunate tale of a poor decision is that I would like for us to consider today what is commanded in Colossians 3:13 Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
I think that we stress the importance of forgiving one another quite often. To say that we will forgive “just as the Lord forgave us” is difficult to commit to. He not only forgives, He also forgets, “casting our sins as far as the east is from the west and remembering them no more.” (Psalm 103:12)
To forgive while absolutely and completely forgetting that the injury, or slight, or mistreatment ever occurred is promised to us by God, but for us to do the same is beyond challenging.
Bearing with one another is a different thing altogether. To say that we bear with one another is to say that we will accept each other in spite of imperfections. To bear with each other means that we love each other even when that other person is proving to be difficult to like. To bear with each other means that we recognize that each and every one of us is unique, which is a nice way of saying “peculiar.”
What one person feels is funny, another person may feel is insulting. What one person feels is inspirational, another person may feel is unreasonable. What one person feels is helpful, another person may feel is intrusive. This could go on and on, but you get the idea. We are different, and those differences require understanding, acceptance, and above all love. But we need each other, and when we are together in Christ, we are able to lift each other up and use all of the differences to compliment each other rather than to ridicule or reprove each other. This is ours in the heart of forbearance.
May God bless you with a generous heart today!
Vern