If you ever watch programs on HGTV, you’ve heard the term “load-bearing wall.” That’s the wall in a house that is holding up the rest of the structure. The word bear means “to support.” It also means “to endure.” When we endure one another—with all our imperfections, quirks, disagreements—we are helping hold up the body of Christ.
I admit, I flee when things get difficult in a relationship. But the older I get, the more I see the value of sticking around through thick and thin. Of having difficult conversations. Of reaching out to those I disagree with. Bearing with one another through love.
—Excerpted from 2018: A Book of Grace-Filled Days by Karen Beattie
