Patient with All

Sometimes they just don’t know.

“¹⁴And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:14 (ESV)

In my profession as a Corporate Training Professional, one of the phrases I use in training classes often is for the learners to “be patient with their learning, ignorance is okay”. I believe that we don’t know what we don’t know and therefore need to be okay with that fact and work to learn.

Why is it that I state that in the classroom, however seem to forget that elsewhere? I seem to treat others around me as though they are partaking in “ignorance by design” or they choose not to know and when that happens, I get frustrated.

I should be the first to demonstrate patience with those around me and embrace that “ignorance is okay”. I should continue the classroom with those around me and allow them to “be patient with their learning”. Give them the opportunity to demonstrate their grasp of the information.

When you are around others, do you hold them to a higher standard of knowledge and experience? Are you allowing them the opportunity to learn at their pace? Are you able to be patient with all?