“Bear with one another …” –Colossians 3:13
There were several thoughts that came to my mind as I read this text stemming from the word “bear.” Immediately, visions of less than ideal interactions with obnoxious characters came to mind. In those scenarios, “bear” conjured up synonyms like “endure, survive, put up with.” Endure another crabby patient or snarky staff member. Survive another boring class or committee meeting. Put up with an interminable workload.
The old adage “Don’t judge a book…” could be applied here. I reviewed the verse in context and came to the realization that there is depth and meaning that goes beyond tolerating, outliving and going along with less than ideal experiences. It isn’t talking about personal martyrdom. It is talking about a core desire of Jesus for each of us.
In Matthew 11:29, Jesus says to us all, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” In our urbanized, information-age culture, not many of us know what a yoke is.
I learned what one was as a young boy of 5 years old visiting my Grandpa Wade’s farm in Alabama for the first time. It was a place of wonder to a little kid born and raised in Los Angeles! My Grandpa didn’t drive anything that was mechanized. He still used a pair of horses to plow his fields. They worked together like synchronized swimmers.
Unfortunately, shortly before my arrival, one of the horsed died. That left only Old Ben to work with a new and younger horse. I climbed up on the fence to watch my Grandpa begin to plow with the horses. Old Ben had worked with Grandpa and plowed those fields for so long that he probably could have done it without Grandpa. He and Grandpa were in perfect synch.
The younger horse was another thing entirely. When Grandpa wanted the horses to turn right, the rookie horse went left, and so it went for most of the day. As the day wore on, I began to notice what Old Ben was doing. A harness — a yoke — joined the two horses together. When the young horse went the wrong way, Old Ben would dig in his hooves and strain to pull him the right way. On and on it went until, finally, the young horse got it. They became a team working in harmony and unison.
Loma Linda University Health will not stay on mission each day if we are unwilling to bear with one another’s weaknesses, ineptitude, differences or failures. Those of us who have mastery or expertise, like Old Ben, are invited to serve as a guide on how to work well. The others of us who are in need of gaining proficiency or competence are invited to follow the lead. All of us need to accept one another as we progress together toward our goals. That’s what Jesus wants to do for and with us. That’s what Jesus longs for us to do with one another.
It isn’t about just tolerating each other. It’s about us bearing each other’s trials and burdens. It’s about us putting our arms around our fellow employees when they face hardship. It’s about being a team — yoked together — to help each other do the task at hand. This gives a new dimension to “Many strengths. One mission.”
When we are a team, when we are connected with each other, when we realize that Jesus is in the yoke with us, too, when we “bear with each other,” we can meet any challenge that lies ahead.
Terry Swenson, DMin
Campus chaplain
Loma Linda University