Bear a Burden

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Galatians 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.

What it is speaking to me:

This verse got me thinking today, Which law is Paul referencing? Usually when he mentions the law, he is referring to the Mosaic law, but he qualifies it this time with "the law of Christ." In the chapter preceding this one Paul writes, "For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF’” (Gal 5:14). So in this context Christ's law is about loving your neighbor, and the immediate use case is bearing their burdens.

This is a challenge for me, because I have enough burdens of my own to carry. Maybe you can identify with that. And I guess I am good at carrying my own burdens because I love myself...wait.

We all have burdens to carry, and to fulfill the law of Christ, we need to carry the burdens of others. That isn't an easy lift (pardon the near pun), and it can spin out of control quickly. But the best place to start is by acknowledging that we—the church—are meant to help bear each other's burdens.

Their burdens don't become OURS, but it means they don't have to carry them alone. If you have had someone come alongside and help bear one of your burdens, you know how powerful it is, how much love is shown in that act. Our job is to provide that same relief to others.

What is it saying to you?

How do you do with carrying your own burdens?

How about others?

How do you keep their burden from becoming yours?

Do you see the difference?

How can you grow in being a better burden-carrier?

What are we going to do about it?

Identify a specific "burden" (e.g., a stressful task, a time constraint) a friend or co-worker is carrying and offer concrete help today.