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1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 “We urge you brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.”

Often the easiest thing to do when our friends are dragging us down or causing us discomfort is to simply forget them. I know that when others have caused me pain or been tough to deal with I would react by ignoring and avoiding them. The worst part is that I thought myself good for doing this.

Isn’t it good that I did not start a fight? Isn’t it good that I did not become self- righteous with them? In 2 Thessalonians 3:14 Paul even recommends that believers cease associating with brethren who are disobedient. However, we often practice this in the wrong way and with the wrong motive. We ignore them with the goal of never interacting with them again and for our own benefit.

Paul wants us to constantly keep our focus on the lost brother or sister and make all our actions an attempt to return them to a rightful relationship with God and the Church. He says to deal with the weak, fainthearted, and unruly with patience. Rebuking and ignoring them may be what is necessary, but forgetting them is not to practice patience, it is to put yourself before the salvation of a brother or sister. Paul says not to repay evil for evil, and what more harm can we do to a brother or sister than to remove our love from them? Few things could be as harmful to a struggling Christian than for their family to forget them. Let us act with patience for the others’ good. Let us keep each other in our hearts always.