2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:1-2
What I take from this is that if a man be overtaken by sin we are taught to learn from his mistake. It reminds me of the idea that a smart man learns from his own mistake but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others.
It also reminds me that to lighten the burdens of others and reach out a helping hand, a healing hand in compassion is to fulfill the law of Christ.We are taught in various scripture passages to lighten one another's burdens. And doing so fulfills the law of Christ because to do so is to love one another as He loved us. All the law and prophets hang on the principle of loving God and all His children. And with all the burdens life entails to reach out a hand in compassion and support can make all the difference. Reaching out in love can make a crucial difference.
The church released a video about depression and suicide, they found another blogger with a suicide attempt. Guess my near death experience was distasteful to them? But Ballard did say that we should reach out in love and leave the judgements to God and Jesus as I have written many, many times. But I'm sure that bit is coincidental.
Regardless it is an important message to convey and I'm happy he conveyed it. The blogger described his depression that lead to his suicide attempt. And he said his brother just being there for him to listen to talk and to just be there for him to lighten his burden so he was no longer feeling crushed by it. I can report similar effects from how others reached out to me after my attempt. My burdens were lightened and it made all the difference.
If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but if thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear it. Proverbs 9:12
This to me means that if one chooses to live alone then you will die alone. But if one lives in a community then we are tied to one another and those ties are maintained by love and also a certain degree of responsibility to be our brothers keeper.
As someone who came back from a suicide attempt I can tell you that what helped me, what still helps me, is the love I received from those close to me. My friends and family pulled me back from the brink as well as the near death experience I had. You can be brothers by blood or by bond but it's that brotherly love one to another that keeps us from drowning when we feel lost at sea.
The video by the church I hope will make the impact on others that it has made on me.
Jesus reached out to others His entire ministry and likely His entire life. He showed love and compassion to all from saving the life of a woman caught in the act of adultery, to lepers noone else would touch, to the man born blind, to children who just wanted to be near Him. Jesus loved so much that His love changed the course of world history for the better and the worse was done in His name but in opposition to His teachings. And His teachings and doctrine drew their power from His actions and speech. The way Christ lived is what gave His teachings such power and if we live and love as He did then we can affect that same change on the world today.
Good theology saves lives just as much as bad theology gets people killed.
But it is a Christ said; by their fruits shall ye know them. A good tree cannot produce evil fruist anymore than a bad tree can produce good fruit.
Part of what I think we have lost in our modern era is involvement in the lives of those close to us, we Facebook or text instead of calling or visiting in person. We are too busy to spend much time together and we lose something as a result.
One man can build himself a house but a thousand men can build a skyscraper, the more we connect and pool our resources and abilities and our numbers the more we can progress as a people. Both in material and in spiritual terms.
The more we connect the more we are connected and the stronger we become. The more we love, the more we are loved. The more forgiveness we give, the more forgiveness we receive. The more merciful we are, the more mercy we receive.
