Brothers and sisters, if someone is overtaken in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual, restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted. Galatians 6:1
This verse has had new meaning for me during COVID-19 Stay-cation. During all this down time, all this self-paced schoolwork and all this time on electronics, I have occasionally found a child in my home “overtaken in wrongdoing.” You know...relaxing when he/she should have been working, neglecting house chores, procrastinating, etc., typical wrongdoings for a kid.
It’s that last phrase that I found odd, “watching out for yourselves so that you also won’t be tempted.” I have quickly brushed by this phrase, thinking excessive video game playing is NOT a temptation for me. Leaving the breakfast dishes in the sink until well past lunchtime is NOT a temptation for me. But when I find my child misbehaving, I am tempted to overreact, yell, nag, or lay on the guilt trip. I am tempted to feel superior. Or I can react the opposite way. I can be tempted to think less of myself, less of my husband or less of my ability to parent because my child did this wrong thing. I am tempted to think that I have control over my child, which I do not have.
Do you remember that old saying “Two wrongs don’t make a right?”
Gentle means having or showing a mild, kind, or tender temperament or character. It also means moderate in action, effect, or degree; not harsh or severe. These qualities sound right for restoring a fallen brother or child.
So, the next time you find someone “overtaken in any wrongdoing,” restore them with a gentle spirit. Resist the temptations that you are presented with because you are not perfect either and, God is certainly gentle with you.
