The Grace of Tolerance

Jewish symbols
Originally uploaded by Darrell

There was a discussion today about the nature of grace. It's a broad concept, grace. By its very definition, it's not earned but simply bestowed. The topic turned to being an evangelist or a Christian disciple. One person in the group shared that he occasionally feels uncomfortable at work because he is a devout Christian but his company was founded by people of the Jewish faith.
I offered that as a Christian knowingly accepting a position in a company founded and operated by non-Christians, the onus is upon him to show respect for their beliefs. He can evangelize by his actions instead of his words, and there's grace in that.
To his credit he accepted that, well, with grace!
In small work groups where the boundaries are clearly defined, it seems alright to speak openly about your faith. It seems that a free exchange of ideas over lunch or coffee might be productive. Trouble starts when we presume to impose our beliefs on others while being closed-minded to their points of view.
My wife and I work in an organization with almost 6000 employees. Almost every religion or belief system imaginable is represented somewhere among our co-workers. As Christians, we must gracefully acknowledge that we simply don't understand the way some our co-workers think. We must also realize that they don't get us, either.
My buddy with the Jewish bosses made a reference to "The Jewish church", which tells me everything I need to know about how much he's doesn't know about them.
Grace and peace to you my brothers and sisters in Christ. Oh, and to everybody else, too.

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