Learning to Lift: Jesus Style

As my 9-year old has grown, I've learned, out of necessity, the right and wrong ways to lift him.  If we're trying to get over a wall, the right way is to squat down and give him a boost.  The wrong way, trying to pull him up the wall, would only succeed in pulling me back down.

Whether we do it consciously or not, many Christians try to "help" people in the wrong way.  We sit atop our metaphorical perches, believing we know better, and have the means to lift people higher.  Believing we can "inspire" others, we hide our own mistakes and boast of our good deeds.  The great commission was to first make disciples.  Only then should we to teach them to obey.  The only thing that seems to inspire is a desire to give us a swift kick in the...I digress.

Not only does that tact fail, we, ourselves, fall into perhaps the most dangerous of sins: pride.  In order to reach that perch on the wall, we use the very people we're trying to help as footstools.  If we try to pull them up by force from above, we risk falling from the perch ourselves.

Scripture teaches us to love and serve.  Service means going to people's needs.  Service means talking to the woman at the well and offering living water.  Lifting people up means cleaning and bandaging their wounds even if they're our sworn enemies.  We must not only be willing to dine with sinners, we must be prepared to wash their feet.

Jesus himself came down from His heavenly throne to give us a boost.  If we wish to lead people to the cross, we must give them a boost from below.  "For all have sinned and fall short."  By that, we relate and give glory.

if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spiritd should restoree that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. (Gal 6:1)

Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.  (Luke 11:46)