Daily Devotional for August 5, 2015

Galatians 6:1-3
Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.

Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.  Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO.  All rights reserved.

There is a phrase that has gained popularity in recent months…”Not my circus, not my monkeys.”  This morning, my mom shared an e-cartoon that featured a woman holding her head in her hands with the caption…”That awful moment when you realize that this is your circus and those are your monkeys!”  Our job as Christian disciples is to know which phrase applies in each situation.

There are times when we can truly step aside and keep our attitudes and opinions to ourselves.  Depending on how well we know the other person and our relationship with him/her, we may be able to offer tender, non-critical observations or advice.  Any further interference might only serve to cause dissonance between us …and possibly damage our relationship forever.

But when the things fall apart, we must be ready offer love and support.  There cannot be any “I-told-you-sos”…although at some point, it may be okay to say, “I was concerned, but I didn’t feel that I had all of the facts and/or it was none of my business.”  But in the end, we must be ready to say, “I still love you, and I will help you get through this.”

On the other hand, there have been several instances just this summer of people quite literally busting children and pets out of hot cars where they were left unattended. On the surface, this seems like a “not-my-circus-not-my-monkeys” situation.  But in truth, child and animal endangerment is our circus…or should be!  We must be careful as we interact with the adults involved…but we must still advocate on behalf of the child or pet.

I may have oversimplified this, but here’s the bottom line…we must ask God to show us when to step in and help someone…and when to back off and let “life” happen.  But we must never operate with a critical attitude…and we must never judge others.  We are called to offer a helping hand - and the love, grace, mercy and forgiveness of Christ Jesus. This is the perfect example of how and where to apply the “What Would Jesus Do?” litmus test…and the “Golden Rule” of treating others as we wish to be treated.

We must also be careful to remain approachable and empathetic.  The “not-my-circus-not-my-monkeys” attitude must never evolve into, “I have better things to do than bother myself with this person/situation.”  Ask God to show you how and where you are to share the burdens of others… when it is appropriate to offer your opinion/assistance – and when you need to step back a bit.  As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to get involved and minister to others.  The key is to know which “circuses and monkeys” are really ours. 

©2015 Debbie Robus