Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Crēday, Matamín 12th, 7703 (Wednesday, 02-16-2011) Theological Post (TP Article) #10: Helping Each Other Limp Along


Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ…”.
(Rabbi Paul, Letter To The Galatian Ekklesias, Chapter:Verse 6:2)

“…A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart”.
(Ecclesiastes 4:12b)

Did You know that the word “compassion” literally means “to suffer with”?  That’s a very disconcerting thought, is it not?

A friend of mine called this week to discuss her new boyfriend.  He recently had a teenage daughter commit suicide just two weeks after she began dating him, and — obviously — the arc of their relationship has fallen from the sky in the aftermath of paralysis, trauma, & grief.  She wanted to talk about her situation….

Did You know there is a Law of Christ?  Why didn’t anyone tell me about that?  Why hasn’t anyone told me about that?  i had to learn from God Himself about it, because no one would tell me about it….

The world is a world of divide & conquer.  Our enemy has learned that — at the essence of any successful strategy against any of us — there is a fundamental weakening that happens when we are isolated from one another.  We need each other.  We don’t just miss out when we’re not with each other — we are both literally & figuratively “less” in that situation.  It’s not the way we were designed to Live, and it is our kryptonite.

Rabbi Paul addressed this when he counseled us to bear one another’s burdens and, thereby, fulfill the Law of Christ.  Now, i’m not going to address the Law of Christ here, because that is a whole subject in and of itself.  However, suffice it to say that Christ does indeed have a Law and we should heed it.  The old Mosaic Law may have ceased to be our mandate, but only because it was replaced by a new one from Christ Himself….

“Bear one another’s burdens…”.  Interesting.  In the Greek, the word picture is that of a felled tree that is blocking the road and stopping traffic but too large for one person to move.  Passage (moving beyond where we are currently) may only resume when more than one person is present and more than one person is willing to work together to move the tree out of the pathway.

Ropes don’t do so well when they are only one strand, but a rope of two or three cords is very strong.  Even when they are wet, they are strong.  In fact, wet ropes are often stronger when the cords are together and weaker when the cords are separated….

i told my friend what i thought about her situation after listening to her describe it and ask for my input.  What i would like to say here on this blog post today is that we need one another to move beyond the felled trees in our Lives.  We cannot (literally are not able to do so) move forward without help from one another.  We are destroyed when we are isolated.  We are attacked when we are separated.  We are vulnerable when we are dislocated….

Since “compassion” means “to suffer with,” we should embrace suffering.  Not only for the reasons articulated on this blog previously, but also because in suffering with someone we find the joy of solidarity.  It is our privilege to suffer with one another, to bear one another’s burdens, to move one another forward.  It is our opportunity to minister in pain, provide in lack, and comfort in affliction.  We heal individually when we are treated by others.

Today, i urge You to consider the role You play in the Lives of others regarding making them more than they are by themselves with Your presence.  You & me & God make five, friends of mine used to say….

2 comments:

  1. Even though I don't subscribe to everything she touts, I love this quote from Marianne Williamson: "We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

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  2. Thanks so much for my daily dose of you! I appreciate our conversations and love the fact that you can see into the heart of me, past all of the "crap". I love love love your blog.

    My idea of compassion was always that I had to "be perfect" in it. I wasn't allowed to cry but only allowed to be stoic. My situation has definitely taught me that it's okay to cry, in fact it's embraced by those who need me.

    Keep writing your blog, Shane. You help me more than you know.

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