Tolerate
Putting Up With It: You become what you tolerate. This statement holds a powerful truth that can be applied to every aspect of our lives. The things we tolerate in ourselves and in those around us shape who we are and who we will become. Think about the things you currently tolerate in your life. Are they things that align with your purpose and goals? Or are they things that hold you back and prevent you from reaching your full potential? It’s important to remember that tolerance is not the same as acceptance. Tolerance means putting up with something, while acceptance means embracing it as a part of your life. When it comes to the things we tolerate, we must ask ourselves if they are worth accepting or if they need to be changed. A good example of tolerance and reaching a breaking point comes from the parable Jesus tells of the prodigal son. “And He said, “A man had two sons. “The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. “And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. “Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. “So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. “And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. “But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! ‘I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.”’ “So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. “And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ “But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.” — Luke 15:24. At first the prodigal son wouldn’t tolerate having his inheritance withheld. So he got his wish and received his inheritance. He then squandered it on loose living and came into ruin. Yet, the prodigal son still tolerated his extremely dire situation to the point where he was feeding swine and hoping he could eat their food. It wasn’t until he came to his senses that he refused to tolerate his situation anymore and returned to his father in humility. Ultimately his life was changed for the better and he was received with open arms by his father. It’s easy to judge the prodigal son, but ask yourself what are you putting up with that is causing ruin in your life? You might not be in a situation where you are desiring food that pigs are eating, but you are probably tolerating some self-destructive action that you stubbornly haven’t adjusted. If so, it’s time to come to your senses and say enough is enough. Remember, no real change will happen in your life until you refuse to tolerate it and make the change.
Tolerance Level: Many people wish their situation in life was different and wonder why they aren’t getting ahead. If so, they should shine the light on themselves and expose what bad habits they are tolerating. Just because you don’t like something doesn’t mean you aren’t tolerating it. For example, your house is dirty and you hate living in a messy space, however, doing the work to clean it up is more intolerable than living in a mess. You see the problem. Your tolerance level is actually very high for living in a messy home. This example can be applied to many areas in life. People will complain that they don’t understand certain things in the Bible, yet they refuse to read the Bible because putting in the work to understand it is not tolerable. “The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.” — Proverbs 21:25. Once you begin to recognize that there are all sorts of tolerance levels you endure for bad habits you will have no excuse. Either ratify the problem or wallow in it. Never blame others for your habits or that no one is willing to help you. If you have the spirit of the living God you are already a conqueror in Him. Moreover, once you start to take steps to change you will be shocked at how quickly you will find like-minded people to stand with you. Birds of a feather flock together. Identify what you’re tolerating that is bad, hurtful, lazy or sinful and then tolerate it no more.
Motivation Myth: The definition of motivation is: the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way, or the general desire or willingness of someone to do something. Motivation is often thought of as an internal drive or force that propels individuals toward their goals. However, motivation may not exist in the way that we typically think of it. Instead, it is the level of tolerance for discomfort or obstacles that determines a person’s actions and ultimately their success. This is an important point to consider, as it means that the key to increasing motivation is not necessarily to find more internal drive or willpower, but to develop a higher level of tolerance for discomfort. In other words, take the narrow path. The point at which you start to get stuff accomplished in life begins when it is intolerable to not accomplish what God has planted in your heart. We can attest to this from our early days when we heard the call for missions. We saw a life ahead on the road and preaching the Good News and we grabbed ahold and followed. It wasn’t easy to start as we had little support, no experience and faced many challenges, but for us the prospect of not doing it was intolerable. We didn’t care about the things we’d be missing out on back home, but looked forward to what might lie ahead. It seemed crazy at the time compared to the normal way of life, but God has taken us on an amazing journey these past 25 years and we are still going strong. A bit of small advice we would give would be to never fear discomfort, be intolerant to stagnancy and live totally for Him. “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” — Romans 7:23–25.
In Him,
Tim and Will