Be tolerant of other people's faults and mistakes
"For each person will have to bear (be equal to understanding and calmly receive) his own (little) load (of oppressive faults)."
-- Galatians 6:5 (AMP)
When was the last time you were late and expected someone would understand?
How about the time you left your coffee cup and dishes on the table for someone else to clean up?
Or maybe you accidentally left the lid on the peanut butter jar loose and instead of smooth and creamy, the person after you opened the jar to find it dry and stale.
Oftentimes, we are eager to overlook our own faults, and according to Galatians 6:5 we all have them. But we have higher standards when it comes to our expectations of someone else who has the same ones or their own unique set of faults. We need to be as equally understanding toward the weaknesses of others just as we excuse ourselves.
A couple of my strengths are punctuality and organization. I like to meet deadlines when they are due and keep the space around my computer neat and orderly. But sometimes things happen, and I slip from being perfect. When this happens, I show myself mercy and lower the standard for myself. However, if someone else creates chaos around my computer or is late with something they promised me, I might not show them as much mercy as I would show myself. If it happens to me on occasion, I should be willing to realize it can happen to someone else as well.
I am not suggesting we don't work on improving our faults or that it is all right to be chronically late or leaving a mess behind us. We should always work toward self-improvement. I am talking about those slip-ups when things happen. We shouldn't have a double standard that says we're excused from mishaps, but we can't excuse someone else. If we're not 100 percent perfect, we shouldn't expect others to be either.
Mercy displays an understanding heart. If we are blind to our own faults, we aren't going to be merciful toward others. Looking at ourselves and showing a little mercy goes a long way when life's little mishaps take place.
When the tables are turned, showing mercy toward someone's shortcoming's could cause us to reap some in return.