July 19, 2013
Lend a Hand – Where You Can
Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Galatians 6:2-10
“By helping yourself, you are helping mankind. By helping mankind, you are helping yourself. That’s the law of all spiritual progress.”
- Christopher Isherwood
We, as Christians need to guard against becoming so involved in our own affairs that we neglect to be touched and affected, thus moved to action by the needs of others: while simultaneously not becoming so heavenly minded that we become no earthly good when it comes to meeting the needs of our own family and ourselves.
In this process we need to also be mindful that we become facilitators; not enablers. Thomas Roosevelt put it into perspective thusly: “The spirit of brotherhood recognizes of necessity both the need of self-help and also the need of helping others in the only way which ever ultimately dos great good, that is, of helping them to help themselves.”
In ministering to the needs of ourselves and those we encounter, it is so easy to become an extremist, in that we become isolationist in that we only care for ourselves and our hand select few: or that we try to do everything for everyone making it unnecessary for them to do anything for themselves. There may be certain things that a person cannot do for themselves, such as a baby cannot dress or feed themselves; but you would not continue to dress and feed them until they are eighteen: you would teach them how to do these things for themselves.
We need to do the same things spiritually speaking. When a person is a babe in Christ they need more specific help; but with this help must come the equipping and instructing so that they can grow and gradually become more spiritually capable of not only doing for themselves but helping others learn, just as they have.
There is an old adage that states: ‘If you give a man a fish, he eats for the day: if you teach a man to fish, he can feed himself for a lifetime.’
We need to care for each other and help each other whenever we can: and sometimes that help requires that we enable and equip that other person to learn to care for their selves.
True loving caring and helping (the acts of ministry) are multifaceted and many fold: we need to do all that we can, whenever we can: while making sure we don’t enable someone to not become all that God wants them to be in the process.
Prayer:
Father, help me to help others by doing for them what they may can’t do: but also by helping them learn to do those things they can.
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