I've been kind of out of doing my spirtual reading lately. I read this this morning and wanted to share it with you all since I can see how it applies to the 21st century. You might agree or disagree with it or my comments. If you do, just take it or leave it. It's my opinion. 
(BTW I'm dx'd with Bipolar Disorder, so I'm telling it from that POV).
Galatians 6:1-5 (Today's English Version)
1a) My brothers, if someone is caught in any kind of wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should set him right; but you must do it in a gentle way.
My comment: I believe this is meant to be done between close friends, not casual acquaintances-- and it should be done in love, not in a critical fashion. I think (from what I've read in other places) that it's meant to be done sparingly and not over petty things.
1b) And keep an eye on yourselves, so that you will not be tempted, too.
My comment: I read two things here. The main point is that if the other person is having a problem, you may be tempted to fall into that same pit....but I also thought of another place in the Bible where Christ says to look for the log in our own eye before pointing out the speck in someone else's. (Keep an eye on ourselves first).
2) Help carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will obey the law of Christ.
My comment: I thought this was a really neat verse! "The law of Christ" is "Love the Lord with all your heart and all your strength and all your soul and all your might" and "Love your neighbor as yourself." This must be especially referring to the second half of this "law." (Loving our neighbor). If another person has a burden and we can help by lightening the load, who knows what help we might be doing for that person. I think of a person with depression. Depression isn't always obvious so we may not think that a person needs any help because they don't appear to have any burdens.....but they do. It may be a little load that we're helping them with, but often just by letting another person know that we are there to help, that we care, can help immensely.
3) If someone thinks he is something when he really is nothing, he is only deceiving himself.
My comment: I've been guilty of this many times. (Especially when I'm hypomanic-- hmmmmm, "delusions of grandeur.") But I don't have to be hypomanic to fall into this trap. It's not that we are "nobodies." I don't think that this is what is being said. I think the point is that we are no better than anybody else.
4) Each one should judge his own conduct. If it is good, then he can be proud of what he himself has done, without having to compare it with what someone else has done.
My comment: I like this verse a lot too. It sounds like something right out of a therapist's office, doesn't it? It is so easy for me to look at others and compare how they are doing and then ask why I'm not doing as well. Instead, I should be happy with how I am doing (or not so satisfied if I'm not doing such a great job and could be doing better but am choosing not to). I need to stop comparing myself to others. Ofcourse, this is referring to conduct, but the same applies.
5) For everyone has to carry his own load.
My comment: We all have a different story. Going back to verse 4 (and my comment on verse 4), this is a good reason not to compare to others. Everybody's situation is so different. It's like the old saying, "don't judge another person until you've walked a mile in his moccasins." My load is different than your load. My life's situations have been different than yours. (We were "dealt different hands")...and so it makes sense not to compare my life and my accomplishments to yours.
All the more reason to help carry each others' loads whenever we can.
---------------------------------------------------------
Well, that's just what I read this morning and I thought it was so neat that I wanted to share.
~Sandy
(BTW I'm dx'd with Bipolar Disorder, so I'm telling it from that POV).Galatians 6:1-5 (Today's English Version)
1a) My brothers, if someone is caught in any kind of wrongdoing, those of you who are spiritual should set him right; but you must do it in a gentle way.
My comment: I believe this is meant to be done between close friends, not casual acquaintances-- and it should be done in love, not in a critical fashion. I think (from what I've read in other places) that it's meant to be done sparingly and not over petty things.
1b) And keep an eye on yourselves, so that you will not be tempted, too.
My comment: I read two things here. The main point is that if the other person is having a problem, you may be tempted to fall into that same pit....but I also thought of another place in the Bible where Christ says to look for the log in our own eye before pointing out the speck in someone else's. (Keep an eye on ourselves first).
2) Help carry one another's burdens, and in this way you will obey the law of Christ.
My comment: I thought this was a really neat verse! "The law of Christ" is "Love the Lord with all your heart and all your strength and all your soul and all your might" and "Love your neighbor as yourself." This must be especially referring to the second half of this "law." (Loving our neighbor). If another person has a burden and we can help by lightening the load, who knows what help we might be doing for that person. I think of a person with depression. Depression isn't always obvious so we may not think that a person needs any help because they don't appear to have any burdens.....but they do. It may be a little load that we're helping them with, but often just by letting another person know that we are there to help, that we care, can help immensely.
3) If someone thinks he is something when he really is nothing, he is only deceiving himself.
My comment: I've been guilty of this many times. (Especially when I'm hypomanic-- hmmmmm, "delusions of grandeur.") But I don't have to be hypomanic to fall into this trap. It's not that we are "nobodies." I don't think that this is what is being said. I think the point is that we are no better than anybody else.
4) Each one should judge his own conduct. If it is good, then he can be proud of what he himself has done, without having to compare it with what someone else has done.
My comment: I like this verse a lot too.
It sounds like something right out of a therapist's office, doesn't it? It is so easy for me to look at others and compare how they are doing and then ask why I'm not doing as well. Instead, I should be happy with how I am doing (or not so satisfied if I'm not doing such a great job and could be doing better but am choosing not to). I need to stop comparing myself to others. Ofcourse, this is referring to conduct, but the same applies.5) For everyone has to carry his own load.
My comment: We all have a different story. Going back to verse 4 (and my comment on verse 4), this is a good reason not to compare to others. Everybody's situation is so different. It's like the old saying, "don't judge another person until you've walked a mile in his moccasins." My load is different than your load. My life's situations have been different than yours. (We were "dealt different hands")...and so it makes sense not to compare my life and my accomplishments to yours.
All the more reason to help carry each others' loads whenever we can.
---------------------------------------------------------
Well, that's just what I read this morning and I thought it was so neat that I wanted to share.
~Sandy
