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What You Tolerate, You Cannot Change.

Seems like a pretty simple statement.

But, it’s not quite that easy.

Let’s change something really big that we just can’t stand.

How about the Iraq War? 

I don’t care whether you want to bomb Iraq back into the stone age, or if you want to bring the troops home.

What kind of commitment will it take to accomplish that?

1) Run for President, so you can make the call.

Okay, that means that you have to put together a political machine that can accomplish  that. And, by the way, both sides of the Republican and Democratic sides are filled with also-rans that want to try and be the next Pres. (One of them is even hiding is real party-affiliation to do it.)

You could give up your job, and focus all your attention on that task, in doing what ever it is you need to do to make those changes.

But, if you’re not willing to do that, you won’t change it.

Let’s say that your passion is stopping pedophiles from raping 3 year olds. Outside of protecting your 3 year olds, what can you do? 

You could focus all your attentions again on doing what it takes to become a congressman or a prosecutor or a judge. Now, realize that some of these careers take 8 or more years to accomplish, plus you have to deal with a lot of things that have nothing to do with your cause. Or, you could build communities far away from schools and children and make them available to the pedophiles.  But, you’re going to need money, and you’ll have to put up with their personalities and lifestyles to do that.

Again, if you are not willing to do what it takes, then it is not a cause, and you are tolerating it.

But, what about your environment that you have control over.  Your weight, your appearance, your job.

Those are things that you can do something about. You can take immediate action to do something about those things.

The Apostle Paul, (by now you know), wrote that whatever situation he found himself in, he was content.

When he was imprisoned along with Silas, he sang.

Why?

Because, when he chose the path that God and Jesus had chosen for him, while he was on the road to Damascus to go and kill more Christians, he had to accept his calling. And that was why he was in that prison. Yes, the Roman guards put him there, and that was also somewhat beyond his control.

But, yet Paul also mentioned that he buffeted his body daily, and that he fought the good fight.

What’s the difference?

The difference between being content and toleration is your degree of control over the situation. The more control you have over something you despise, the quicker and more effectively you can change it.

So, if you decide to follow a cause, and you have to set yourself on that path to be in the position you need to be to change it, be content, and put all into mastering the things you need to accomplish so that you can be effective in that course. 

And, that’s the difference between toleration and contentment!

Make it a great day in the Lord!

Brother Paul