The Blessing of Tolerance

Join me in welcoming our guest blogger, Dr. Katherine Pasour! Katherine and I met years ago at Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. Her desire to serve the Lord in her writing has been a source of inspiration to me. Katherine’s latest book, Stay the Course, is a practical and encouraging devotional for first-year college students. At the end of Katherine’s blog, there’s a book giveaway of Stay the Course! What a great gift for yourself or the student in your life!

The Blessing of Tolerance:

Many years ago, when my daughter was small, I took her to the bathroom at the restaurant where our family was eating.

The latch on the door of the bathroom stall was broken so I pushed against it with my backside as I assisted my little one in getting on the toilet. The bathroom exploded with childish giggles as two girls burst into the facility. Without bothering to look for feet in the stall, they rammed the door against me, nearly causing me to knock my daughter off the toilet.

I pushed back on the door and their laughter erupted again.

“Excuse you!” My voice clearly revealed my frustration.

A fresh bout of giggles echoed as they raced out of the bathroom.

“Mommy? Why did you say, ‘excuse you’?”

I puffed out a breath as I helped her from the toilet. “I guess I was trying to remind them to pay attention and be more careful when they’re checking whether someone is in the stall.”

But later, after reflection, I realized my impatience with the girls probably didn’t help them learn from the experience. I could have moderated my tone, explained that knocking on the stall door could let them know if it was occupied.

I could have been more tolerant and understanding.

Tolerance is a virtue we need to continue to cultivate—no matter our age.

And, as adults, it’s our role to model tolerance for others.

Below is an excerpt from Stay the Course: A Devotional Handbook to Survive and Thrive in Your First Year of College (and Beyond). Tolerance is a character trait that allows us to demonstrate patience and understanding for others. This compassionate behavior helps us treat others with kindness, even when we may be experiencing frustration.

Be Tolerant

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. Romans 15:1-2

I’m sure you’ve already noticed that there are many imperfect people in the world. College is no different. You will meet other students that you find irritating. You’ll have instructors that you don’t like. You may have a roommate that is driving you crazy.

Yesterday’s devotion discussed the importance of not judging others. This is a critical component of learning tolerance. There are likely thousands of people on your college campus when numbers of students, faculty, and staff are considered. Each of these individuals is a unique person with their own personality. We are all different. But, we’re also very similar. One common goal that exists on a college campus is that every person wants students to succeed in achieving their educational goals.

That doesn’t mean college will be easy. On the contrary, completing your education may be one of the most challenging experiences of your life. This quest for success can make emotions run high and tempers ignite on a short fuse. Thus, the need for tolerance becomes apparent. Others will make mistakes and may not live up to your expectations, but we should be patient, understanding, and tolerant of the shortcomings of others. You will appreciate being given the same consideration.

One note of warning—tolerance from an instructor does not extend to students that are not attending class, completing work on time, and giving their best effort.

Prayer: Father, I’m thankful that you have patience, compassion, and tolerance for me. Please help all of us here on campus to have that same understanding and caring attitude for each other.

I hope you will join me in praying for our high school graduates—it’s a tough world out there—and these young men and women are our future.

Dr. Katherine Pasour is a retired college professor, an author, and a speaker. During more than four decades of teaching, greater than half at the college level, Katherine has taught and mentored thousands of students.

Katherine has degrees in health and physical education and religion, and a PhD in education. She has taught health and physical education to children, wellness to young adults, general education courses, and research classes for honors students, and prepared students to be teachers.

An outdoor girl at heart, Katherine enjoys her farm animals, gardening, and hiking. Although pulling weeds or spreading mulch in her flowers aren’t her favorite hobbies, she finds these outdoor tasks are great stress relievers, especially in the spring when the fruits of her labor display their glorious blossoms.

You can connect with Katherine at https://katherinepasour.com or through social media on Facebook and Instagram (KatherinePasourAuthor, or X (Twitter @katherinepasour). Katherine’s books, Honoring God with My Body: Journey to Wellness and a Healthy Lifestyle and Stay the Course are available at all major booksellers.

https://mybook.to/QQq3h

Now it’s your turn! Leave a comment in the box below for your opportunity to receive a copy of Katherine’s Stay the Course. I’ll draw a name at random from those who comment and send a copy to the person whose name I draw!