These are some of the highlights we ladies heard from our special speaker, Ruth Patton on the subject of "bearing one another burdens"
** Does the exhortation to "bear one another burdens"throw you into a guilt trip, making you feel that one more things is being expected of you? Or does it instantly get you into the "comparison mode", measuring how well you are doing in relation to others having people over or other acts of kindness?
** Psalms 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens, the God is our salvation. He already is bearing my daily burdens! No sense both of us bearing them.
** Our daily burdens are tucked into our daily circumstances and each of us face different ones. The enemy loves for us make our circumstances our life instead of Christ being our life.
** Spending time alone with Christ, in His Word, listening to His truth, changes my perspective on what I am going through. As I cast my cares on Him because He cares for me, I get revived.
** Gal. 6:3 says that we are to show love for one another which is the law of Christ by bearing one another's burdens. Most of us are people pleaser by nature and tend to think this verse means I should do whatever is needed being done. We all have a hard time saying "no" to people. There are many needs, and we are not asked to meet every one. NOTHING IS HARDER TO BEAR THEN A BURDEN WE ARE NOT CALLED TO CARRY.
** The real key to all this is our time alone with Christ. When we really let go of our own burdens because we embrace with our understanding that He is already carrying the weight of them for us, anyway, THEN we are in a position to look "other-ward". He can reveal to us if He wants us to do something, even if it is a hard thing, then He will empower us to do it. He will renew our strength.
**The hymn to the song, What a Friend We Have In Jesus says it best.
Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care
Precious Savior still our refuge, Take it to the Lord in prayer
O what peace we often forfeit, Oh what needless pain we bear
All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer
**What a blessed time we had a women of God seeking to become "wiser hearted women".