Perfectly Imperfect // Colossians 3:13

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Colossians 3:13, NLT)

I generally focus in on the need to forgive one another as we have been forgiven when reading today’s verse. What struck me this time is actually how the verse begins: Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. I fear this is becoming increasingly difficult. Our culture is so bitterly divided that I fear we are losing (if not lost almost entirely) our ability to find common ground in those with whom we disagree. It feels so heavy and makes me heartsick. Know what I mean? This isn’t unique to us, however; nope, humans have been drawing lines and taking sides as long as we’ve populated the earth. So the Apostle Paul’s advice that we see in the first part of today’s verse is so salient: we need to acknowledge that no one is perfect, make allowances for others imperfections, recognizing that they must deal with our imperfections as well, and trust God to redeem us all into His glorious perfection! God redeems us through forgiveness and asks us to do the same. So, if you haven’t come to grips with your own faults, you will have a much harder time making allowances for others’. It’s essential, though, since we’re all perfectly imperfect. God wouldn’t have it any other way, lest we think we can do this life without Him. So let’s do it…let’s goooooo!