When Burdens Weigh Us Down
By Dawn Tolbert
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of God.” Galatians 6:2
When life becomes more than we can bear, we need someone loving and strong to come alongside us. Sometimes it’s hard to carry someone else’s load. Sometimes it’s hard to relinquish our burden to another. But when we lean upon one another, we all become stronger, and we reveal the beauty of grace.
My travel experiences reminded me, in a tangible way, of this truth. I’m a classic overpacker. It doesn’t really matter where we’re heading or for how long. Even a day trip will find me lugging a camera bag with supplies squirreled away. Inevitably, that bag will grow heavy.
Enter my husband.
He’ll give me a smile and ask, “Want me to help?”
I’m always grateful to hear those words and proud that he does the same for others, too. While part of two group trips, he became famous for helping ladies older than us with their luggage. He’d much rather make a few extra trips up and down the stairs than see anyone struggling.
Galatians 6:2 says this is how we should approach our Christian journey. When we notice someone struggling, weighed down by burdens, we should step in and—like my husband—ask, “Want me to help?”
Our instincts might tell us we don’t need to get involved, or maybe our calendar says there isn’t time. But spiritually speaking, carrying one another’s burdens isn’t just a nice thing to do; it’s a way for us to obey God and fulfill His law. When we come alongside another person and offer our help, we fulfill God’s command to love others.
Today’s verse indicates, in our relationships with other Christians, this habit of burden-carrying should work both ways. Some days, we’re the one helping; other times we’re the ones with the problem. God designed our Christian family to provide mutual aid as we live life together. We should be willing to both give and accept help.
This command doesn’t have an expiration date or patience-limit attached. We’re not instructed to help until “the other person should know better”. Instead, we should live grace-filled lives, caring about and for each other in a Christ-honoring way.
Dawn Tolbertis a contributor to Wholly Loved Ministries Daily Devotional, a Christ-follower who writes to honor God, thank Him for His goodness, and encourage readers by sharing her faith journey. She works in higher education public relations and is writing her first novel and her first book-length Bible study. She has earned a B.A. in Communication Studies and English (Gardner-Webb College), a M.A. in Professional Writing (Kennesaw State University), and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership (Union University). She and her husband, Larry, live in Cedartown, Georgia, and serve actively in their church. Dawn blogs at dawntolbert.com.
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Originally published Saturday, 29 June 2019.
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