Sunday, February 19, 2023

day no. 16,190: ripe, raw, or rotting?

"The ripest are kindest to the raw." — C.S. Lewis, Surprised By Joy

Those who have arrived often give the best welcomes. Who better to greet newcomers than someone already admitted? The more mature you are, the more patience you have for immaturity.

Ephesians 4:32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Refusing forgiveness to those who refuse forgiveness is not a sign of moral superiority, but being forgiven and forgiving in like manner is.

"When you think you're ripe, you're rotting and when you think you're green, you're ripening." — Ray Kroc

Impatience with the impatient is not a sign of your patience anymore than your irritability with immaturity is a sign of your maturity. The wise have more tolerance of foolishness than fools do of wisdom.

Luke 6:35
Love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

Superiority is gracious to inferiority; and Christ, who is beyond ripe, is beyond kind to the raw.

Romans 15:1
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

So if you imagine yourself strong... prove it.

Put up with more than you deserve. Be like God and bear up under the insubordination of those who owe you honor and respect. If you’re strong, you owe the weak your patience; unless, of course, that’s too hard for you, in which case you’re actually the weak one whose failings need to be borne up by others.

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