Living in the Spirit
June 30, 2016

Scripture Reading: Galatians 6:1-16

My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads. –Galatians 6:1-5

As a social worker, I have crossed paths with just about every nature of human being, including child and elder abusers. In one year at a children’s hospital, I worked with eight instances of people who killed their children, too many to count who had rendered lifelong physical and mental disabilities on their children, and others who just walked away from children who desperately needed their love. Funny but when one gets caught up in just saving lives and creating some sense of hope and love in horrible situations, one does not have time to exact judgement on the perpetrators. As incompetent as a parent may seem, their children need to understand the parents’ limitations so they do not turn the fault for their situations on themselves. This requires caregivers to see the brokenness in such parents and work to break the cycle of the abuse that results. In most of these abuse cases the perpetrators faced civil judgement. Many went to prison. While that may have been necessary to protect the children from further harm, it just provided another mirror of despair by which to perceive themselves.

‘Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? (Matthew 7:1-3)

The Father judges no one but has given all judgement to the Son (John 5:22)*

I take great solace in Jesus’ words regarding judgement, because it frees me and you not to waste our time and energy on something that is out of our hands anyway. Paul’s letter to the Galatians is an attempt to help them refocus their work more on inventorying and addressing their own shortcomings so they can be better prepared to be the means of Christ’s love to a whole world of people in desperate need of it.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I feel the need to supplant your role as judge. Help me rather to examine myself to identify my own shortcomings, and heal my soul so that I may serve your more nearly. Amen.

*See also Matthew 25:31-46

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.