Even when I was a kid watching the iconic TV show Star Trek I noticed that it was essentially a morality play as is all enduring literature. Some was helpful and some actually encouraged me on a less than healthy path.
In one episode a superior race of beings allowed Captain Kirk to be horribly injured just to see if a woman from another planet "had what it takes" to be an impath, or someone who could take on the suffering of another and heal on behalf of another. Now, for someone with a strong inclination to codependency, this was an unfortunate message. To this day I tend to pick up other people's energy (positive or negative) in less than helpful ways, so I have to be very intentional about who I hang out with.
But the Bible says to "bear with one another" so learning how to do this in healthy ways has been important to me. The Aramaic Bible in Plain English reads this way: Because of this, you shall accept and bear with one another, just as also The Messiah has accepted you for the glory of God.*
It seems to me says that like God, I ought accept the person without endorsing all their behaviors. It does not say that I should shoulder all the responsibilities of getting the person on track, but rather to be as gentle with them as God has been to me, persistently calling me to a closer relationship without turning me into a cyborg acting under compulsion rather than by choice.
Watching a child or parent struggle has always been a heart-breaker for me. But as I have learned to be more careful and thoughtful about how I might offer help, I have come to appreciate the value of struggling with encouragement. And it has given me a new way of understanding God's patience with me. If I had to deal with me, I'd be tempted to clock me with a Nerf bat on a pretty regular basis.
But God just loves and woos and encourages and calls and sends folks to teach me and love me and encourage me. So maybe that is what God expects of me regarding "bearing with one another."
* Romans 15:7
In one episode a superior race of beings allowed Captain Kirk to be horribly injured just to see if a woman from another planet "had what it takes" to be an impath, or someone who could take on the suffering of another and heal on behalf of another. Now, for someone with a strong inclination to codependency, this was an unfortunate message. To this day I tend to pick up other people's energy (positive or negative) in less than helpful ways, so I have to be very intentional about who I hang out with.
But the Bible says to "bear with one another" so learning how to do this in healthy ways has been important to me. The Aramaic Bible in Plain English reads this way: Because of this, you shall accept and bear with one another, just as also The Messiah has accepted you for the glory of God.*
It seems to me says that like God, I ought accept the person without endorsing all their behaviors. It does not say that I should shoulder all the responsibilities of getting the person on track, but rather to be as gentle with them as God has been to me, persistently calling me to a closer relationship without turning me into a cyborg acting under compulsion rather than by choice.
Watching a child or parent struggle has always been a heart-breaker for me. But as I have learned to be more careful and thoughtful about how I might offer help, I have come to appreciate the value of struggling with encouragement. And it has given me a new way of understanding God's patience with me. If I had to deal with me, I'd be tempted to clock me with a Nerf bat on a pretty regular basis.
But God just loves and woos and encourages and calls and sends folks to teach me and love me and encourage me. So maybe that is what God expects of me regarding "bearing with one another."
* Romans 15:7
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