“Karen’s Notes!
Insights from a Glory-Bound Lady”

Selected Notes
Volume 4 Number 43, “Some Very Practical Suggestions of What Not to Do”
October 27, 2021

Here we are at the conclusion of the month of October. Perhaps you have resolved that, with the Lord’s help, this upcoming season of Thanksgiving and Christmas will be a time that you will serve the Lord by reaching out to others. Thanksgiving and Christmas can be a very difficult time of the year.

The Apostle Paul wrote of caring for others and ministering to them in Galatians 6:2 and 5. Let me first share Galatians 6:5. “For every man shall bear his own burden.” This burden speaks of doing those things which I am solely responsible to do.

Now let me share Galatians 6:2. “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” This speaks of crushing heartaches or heavy burdens that are simply too hard for any individual to carry alone.

I have discovered through looking through Karen’s journals, that as she was preparing for upcoming ladies’ retreats and events, she usually used the old-fashioned paper and pen method of studying. Long before she became so ill, she was invited to speak at a retreat where the theme of the ladies’ retreat was to serve one another. Here is a portion from within her conference notes of one of the paragraphs that she taught. It details a couple of suggestions of what NOT to do or say when reaching out to a hurting person. I have shared portions of this workshop before. Thanks for allowing me to share these five things with you today.

Karen wrote: For those who have never ministered to someone going through “deep waters,” let me suggest some things NOT to do.
1. Don’t say, “I know how you feel” unless you’ve really been there.
2. Don’t ask nosy questions just to satisfy your curiosity.
3. Don’t stay for long periods of time unless you really sense God’s leading to do so.
4. Don’t do all the talking. Learn to listen.
5. Don’t give advice unless asked.

Michael’s observation: I love how Karen had a way of getting to the heart of the matter very quickly. Sometimes it takes me a while to get there. It didn’t with Karen! These are good things for us to keep in mind when “bearing one another’s burdens.”