BAD BLOOD | WEEK 4
Shaking the Dust Off
INTRODUCTION
The first step to finding peace in a relationship is to repent if you’ve done wrong or to forgive if you’ve been wronged. But no matter how badly you want peace, there are some relationships that may never be fully restored. What do you do to find peace about a relationship when you can’t find peace in the relationship?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Has there ever been a time when you learned a valuable lesson because of negative consequences?
What might your life look like now if someone had helped you avoid those consequences?
Do you find it more challenging to give help to others or to receive help from others?
How do you think that tendency has affected your relationships?
Read Galatians 6:1–5.
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer[a] is overcome by some sin, you who are godly[b] should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
Has there ever been a time when someone helped you carry a burden?
How did that experience affect your relationship with that person?
How did it affect your relationship with God?
During the message, the Pastor asked, “When does my continual extension of assistance become irresponsible?”
Have you ever had to wrestle with this question in a relationship?
If so, what happened?
Is there an area of your life in which you are asking someone to help you carry your burden even though you aren’t carrying your own load?
If so, what do you need to do to begin to carry your own load?
Is there a “bad blood” relationship in your life in which reconciliation seems impossible?
If so, what can you do to begin to set healthy boundaries in that relationship?
How can this group support you?
MOVING FORWARD
God holds us responsible for helping to carry others’ burdens. He doesn’t hold us responsible for carrying others’ loads. When we carry another person’s load, we rob that person of experiencing the outcomes of his or her decisions. Set boundaries in your relationships. Be accountable to someone.
CHANGING YOUR MIND
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2