Thursday; September 20


          A few days ago I had the chance to help Jeane out with a project at her place of employment.  My job was to stand next to the Research Vessel (an 81’ boat) and help people get on and off the boat from the dock.  Since I enjoy interacting people and being around water I was in hog heaven!  When people would walk up I would invite them onto the boat, offer them assistance getting on and off the vessel and wish them well as they went on with the rest of their day.  As I thought about my role that day I realized something – if people wanted the help I was happy to assist them, but if they didn’t want my assistance, I wouldn’t take it personally.  I would stay close by and watch to make sure they were safe, but didn’t interfere unless they needed (and wanted) help.
          As I pondered this, it gave me a new perspective on Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”.  Paul doesn’t demand that we do anything for people, rather our goal is to be there if/when they need our aid.  We should not push our assistance on them (if they don’t want it) nor should we take it personally when they refuse our help.  Our responsibility is to make the offer and hang around for the times when they ask for our assistance.
          Let’s bear one another’s burdens, but not be overbearing.   Sometimes just the reassurance that help is available is all the support some people need to succeed on their own.
Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Thursday; May 3

I have a fish tank that allows my three Bettas (Larry, Darrell and Darrell) to live in the same structure, but remain hidden from each other – well sort of.   When I go to feed the fish, I believe that one of the Darrell’s can sort of see that the other Darrell is getting fed and he will linger over on that side of the tank even after I put his food in his tank.   I have to tap on the side of the tank where his food is floating to help him refocus and eat.   I get the impression that he is so interested in what is going on in the other Darrell’s tank that he can’t enjoy his own food. I have been told that the brain of a fish is pretty small – which explains their inability to process “blessings”, but are we guilty of the same malady as Darrell?   Are we so worried (or consumed) by what happens to the people around us that we fail to realize what is going on with us?   Are we envious of the blessings that others are receiving and end up missing out on what we have been given?   Are w
Read more

Thursday; February 14

         While most of us are familiar with today being Valentine’s Day, there are some who actually refer to February 14 th as “St. Valentine’s Day”.  This title is often affixed to a criminally historic event known as “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” on February 14, 1929 in Chicago, but that is another story for another time.  Not knowing much about the history of “Saint Valentine” I did a little research and found out he was a Roman religious leader who was martyred in 269 AD.  According to my limited research Valentine was killed because of his encouragement of Roman men (especially soldiers) to marry which was in violation of Claudias’ edict that prohibited marriage to keep their minds singularly focused on their task of defending the Empire.  Somehow, from this beginning – and possibly embellished by Chaucer – St. Valentine became intertwined with the concept of romantic love.           I am not really sure how February 14 th became connected with love, but inspired by thi
Read more

Wednesday; December 6

What does it mean to be a leader? I subscribe to the belief that a leader is someone who seeks the best for others and works with them to achieve their potential. There are others; however, who define leadership as the ability to have a vision and the tenacity to get their own way. Leaders who are this way are often portrayed as having developed the maturity to manipulate people to do things their way. However, is the ability to drive people in our direction mature or is it childish? The Christians of the 1st Century came from a lot of different backgrounds and had to work hard to work together. As the Apostle Paul challenged Christians in the city of Ephesus he challenged them to accept individual differences, “… until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. “ (Ephesians 4:13). Bossiness was not to be viewed as a sign of maturity, a willingness to wo
Read more