1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal. 6:1-2)
From Brianna:
I used to live by "I'm not responsible for anyone else." After coming across the scripture (Galatians 6:1-2) a while ago, I thought to myself, "Can I truly say I love someone and watch them be engulfed in wicked ways?" Is it "judging" if I'm telling you what Christ says concerning your actions? Is it my responsibility to make them aware of what their Creator says concerning their actions? According to Galatians 6:1-2, it is indeed my responsibility. In fact, I would be operating in sin if I did NOTHING. The scripture goes on to say that we should be careful not to sin as well. So, how do I go about being my sister's keeper? 1. Pray for her. We are all walking this walk with Christ one step at a time. When we attempt to do it in our own strength, we fail. That's what spiritual leaders, accountability partners, and our brothers and sisters in Christ are for. Ask Jesus to order her steps. Pray His will for her life. Pray for her strength to obey Him and not grow weary in well-doing. Ask for Him to help you be the friend that she needs. 2. Judge correctly.
"Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” (John 7:24 NIV). When we inform our sister of what Jesus says concerning their sinful ways, it is not judging. Consider this, we are all being judged by the Ultimate Law-Maker! As your sister's keeper, it is your duty to tell her when she is breaking a law. If you love her, you wouldn't want her to suffer the consequences of being reckless. This is why it's important not to buy into the "Don't judge me" trend. The judgement that Matthew 7:1-2 speaks of (“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you") is concerning HYPOCRITICAL judgement. I.e., it is wrong to judge someone for doing the same thing that you are doing. However, re-examine verse 2, "For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Matthew 7:2 NIV) So, if you judge your sister RIGHTEOUSLY, you will be judged righteously. If you judge her hypocritically, you will be deemed a hypocrite. If I began to turn away from God, return to a wretched lifestyle, and forsake my knowledge of Christ, I WOULD WANT MY SISTER TO TELL ME! I may be upset with her at the moment, but I'll soon realize that it was for my eternal good. 3. Honor Jesus WITH her. What good is it to keep your sister on track, when you're not on track? Be an example. Let Christ shine THROUGH you. Don't be stingy with God's love. Share His love. There's plenty more to go around. I am PROUD to be my sister's keeper.
From Mo'Nique:
There was a time where I felt women were nothing but trouble. Yes, I know that I am a woman, and YES I WAS trouble. LOL. Honestly, I just felt as if I could not relate to other women at all. The gossip, the emotions, the betrayal, the deceitfulness, etc. It was just much more than I was willing to deal with. So, I didn’t. I found myself having TWO and only two women friends (everyone else was just someone I tolerated from time to time) and a gazillion guy friends. I was drama-free, I had unlimited access to “real” guy talk, and my house was never full of giggles, weave, and makeup. Life was good.
However, having only two women friends who were pretty much replicas of me wasn’t always a good thing. We all had the SAME bad ideas, we all fell into the SAME trenches, and none of us recognized the dangerous paths we were taking. We were a little too care-free. It was literally the blind leading the blind. The bad thing about having a limited circle of like-minded people who are NOT focused on Christ is that you all continuously spur on one another’s ignorance because you don’t want to offend; and if you call them out on THEIR mess, you’d have to call yourself out as well. That wasn’t happening!
On the other hand, I was insensitive, rude, and a bit obnoxious as times. Guess where I picked those traits up from? Having so many males as friends wasn't always a positive impact. I started taking on the “role” of guy and it was completely out of order at times. For instance, when it came to dating, I could be the most nonchalant, arrogant, cocky little schmuck. My “A-1’s” taught me “the game” and I played it well. True, I may have never gotten “played”, and no, I didn't fall for a lot of the foolishness that we as females can fall for, but it all came with a price. I lost friendships and even potentially good relationships because I couldn't release this personified male dominance that I had acquired.
It wasn’t until I decided to give myself to Christ in EVERY aspect, that I met a few REAL women that I entrusted myself with to realize the importance of “sisterly relations” when walking with Christ. True, my two “main squeezes” were still my friends, but when I decided to seek Christ for myself, I couldn’t expect them to be just as ready or eager. God was a gentleman with me, and I knew He wasn’t a God of two faces. Sure, having guy friends is cool, but I also realized quickly that sometimes as a lady we just can’t do as they do. We weren’t created with the same purpose or roles in mind. We are FEMALE and MALES for a reason. Also, it isn’t always good to be seen with JUST guys at all times. I had to realize that my witness could be tainted, and that everyone doesn’t view the world through my eyes. It may have been innocent to me, but from the outside looking in I could’ve been viewed as “loose”, or “easy” simply based on what “it looked like”.
It was those REAL women that I mentioned earlier that helped me recognize these things. Did they jump down my throat and send judgmental comments my direction? No. They simply kept it real with me. That’s what sisters do. We may quarrel and flat out disagree but we keep one another accountable. We cry, laugh, dance, sing, and everything in between. We are sisters. We understand the importance of Christ and we try our best to share that with women that we encounter. One of the reasons Pretty Proverbs was founded was simply because we had YOU, our sisters, in mind.
Proverbs 18:24 says,
"One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin..." (NIV).
It is essential to be able to count on your friends. God created us to interrelate with others so that we know that this path, that sometimes seems challenging, is that much more bearable. That “it’s none of my business” attitude is released when you realize the importance that we are women striving after Christ together. So go ahead, meet new friends and remember as a sister of Pretty Proverbs, “We are our sister’s keeper!”