Gaining ControlSample

GAINING CONTROL

How do some people develop such a high level of tolerance while others cannot even bear to be part of a crowd, or shy away from the marketplace simply because of the people brushing so closely against them? I believe that lessons in tolerance are picked up from childhood itself. Over the years, we collect a lot of junk which becomes part of our nature. If you find rotten stuff lurking in your soul, get rid of it fast. Better clean and empty than full and stinky.

Jesus’ genealogy is a striking example of acceptance. In it, kings, leaders, and priests parade side by side with a harlot called Rahab who had turned to the Living God and been saved. Anyone would try to hide a Rahab in his genealogy but not Jesus. She was mentioned so that the world would know that Jesus’ kingdom was open to everybody, not just ‘somebody.’

During His mock trial and later His crucifixion, Jesus held His peace even when He was falsely accused, flogged till the flesh was ripped off His back, and that horrific crown of thorns was thrust on His head. He could easily have zapped His tormentors with a bolt of lightning, or transposed the self-righteous, sneering clergy to a spot in the vast deserts of Arabia with not a well in sight within a 100 km radius. In Mathew 26:53, Jesus says that He can get legions of angels to help Him, but He bore it all because He had come to fulfill a purpose, and anger works contrary to God’s will.

When the woman poured the ointment on His head, people judged her by her outward appearance and condemned her for her presumptuous act, but Jesus looked into her soul, saw true repentance and faith shining through those tear-filled eyes and readily forgave and accepted her. When this kind of love operates in our lives, we are better able to tolerate the faults and foibles in others and are less apt to jump to conclusions and sit in judgment. James 4:12 asks a scathing question: Who are you to judge your neighbor?

The Lord Jesus came up close and personal with multitudes of people. Yet, when He was hedged in by contentious crowds and controversy was building, He did not retaliate. He simply walked away. He withdrew from controversy, but did not shun people.

Deal with the rising mercury with tolerance, and look beyond the present into the future. If it’s important to Jesus, it should be to us too.