Old 03-05-2009, 11:51 PM
  # 4 (permalink)  
prodigal
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Keepin' my side of the litterbox clean
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You have helped your bf. You lent a helping hand when he needed a car. You stood by him and offered him support. You say you are a religious person. So I will give you an example of what I feel is giving someone support versus enabling. Perhaps this will give you some help as to what decision you should consider in your situation.

A crippled man sat by the pool at Bethesda for 38 years. Once a year, when the angel came to stir the waters so people could make it into the pool to get healed, this man claimed nobody would pick him up and place him in the pool when the waters bubbled up. So he languished by the pool for thirty eight years waiting for someone to pick him up and place him in the healing waters. When Jesus saw this crippled man, he did not put him in the pool, did he? He did not say to this crippled man, "Let me pick you up and put you in the pool so you can be healed."

Instead, he asked the man, "Would you like to be healed?" He gave the man the dignity to have the FREE WILL TO MAKE HIS OWN DECISION as to whether or not he wanted to get up and get into that pool. Jesus did not pick up that man and place him in the pool, although he could have done so. Instead, he told him, "Stand up, pick up your mat and walk!" This guy had been whining for all those years that nobody would pick him up and place him in the pool, somebody always beat him to the pool, waah-waah-waah. That's a pretty long time to sit around doing nothing and waiting for and enabler to come along to do something this man could eventually figured out how to accomplish himself.

I think that may give you an idea, from a Biblical/religious perspective of the difference between offering support and enabling.

Hope it helps. Best of luck.
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