Education does not stop once we earn our various degrees and certificates. Sometimes I wish it would. I would like there to be a time we can say “Ok, I’ve learned all I need for life, now let me just live it.” This is not reality. In reality, life continues to teach us. It is what we do with that continuing education that defines us.

In Ephesians, Paul tells us a little of how to work with each other. He says: “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Paul does not reassure us that it will be easy to work with each other, quite the opposite. Diving into the word for “bearing” here, we see that “The word ἀνέχω (anechō) only appears in the middle voice in the NT and means here to patiently tolerate someone who is difficult or foolish... This is why Paul brings in ‘patience’ to qualify the bearing with one another. One can easily tolerate a mildly irritating personality, but patience is especially needed for the foolish or difficult brother or sister in Christ.”

During this hard time of recovery from the pandemic, we need to bear with each other, forgiving past hurts, and valuing the education each other has received as we move forward. This is the way of Christ.

In a year of difficulty in relationships, can we grow through it? See it as continuing education–that education takes many forms? This church body is not a competition to see who ends up the most right, but instead a united whole–we are connected. We can do it healthfully if we see each other as a valued part of Christ’s body–each part needing each other.

–Pastor Jana Lee