“Bearing with” means not to hate, hurt, gossip about, mind their business or malign anyone. God does not want us to live someone else’s life. God has not appointed us to straighten out other people. He has not elected us a bully. God expects us to lovingly put up with one another.

If we do not love them there will be nothing but friction. It is the principle that guides husbands and wives. They lovingly put up with one another. Certain things get on each other’s nerves but love provides the lubrication so that they are able to grant latitude. They overlook great many things because there is love between them. If there is no love, friction will become so abrasive that the marriage will split apart.

We lovingly put up with peculiarities. We all have some quirks (you should see Darin Avery when he is playing golf and is teeing off); all of us have our peculiarities. But we are so close to our own peculiarities that they do not seem peculiar. We despise in other people the same peculiarities that we have ourselves. We can recognize them in others, but we have a blind spot to them in ourselves. Love enables the wife to overlook the fact that her husband has two left feet.

When we forgive, we are participating with God in something that is extraordinary and of divine origin.

 God invites us to be participants with him when we forgive our offenders. We participate in his love, his interests, his character. He’s at our side when we forgive.