To Bear or Not to Bear

I just finished yet another book that not only touched my heart but stirred my soul into action. In "Having a Mary Spirit" by Joanna Weaver, I learned that I am not alone in my struggles to do the right thing when I'd rather not.

Well-adjusted, Bible reading Christians faced with adversity have choices when dealing with conflict. They can respond correctly or react incorrectly. Seems easy to just have 2 choices, right? It's not.

This particular chapter, "Wearing Jesus" had a cute analogy I have been thinking a lot about these past couple of weeks as I've been forced to "bear" with an unbearable situation.

"if you're a bear, you get to hibernate. You do nothing but sleep for six months. I could get used to that. And another thing: before you hibernate, you're supposed to eat yourself stupid. That wouldn't bother me either. If you're a mama bear, everyone knows you mean business; you swat anyone who bothers your cubs. If your cubs get out of line, you swat them too. Your husband expects you to growl when you wake up. He expects you to have hairy legs and excess body fat. He likes it. I wish I were a bear!"
(from bible.org...author unknown)

Or, you can go with God's Word...which says something a lot smarter, but not as funny:

"...Bear with one another and forgive whatever grievances you may have against another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
Colossians 3:12