Bear one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
-Galatians 6:2
What is the law of Christ?
It is a law of love.
Love one another, as I have loved you.
One way we can demonstrate love is by bearing one another’s burdens.
Can you think of a time in your life when you struggled to carry an emotional or spiritual load? Many of us can.
My hope is that you can also remember a person helping you to carry your load in your time of distress. We are not meant to carry the heavy burdens of life alone.
From time to time, a person that is bearing a heavy burden will enter your life. We have two options:
1) We can ignore the person and choose not to get involved. This will feel safer and more convenient.
2) Or we can engage in the uncomfortable, but transformational, process of bearing their burdens.
I can remember a time when Sarah and I were on a date night and had just arrived at a fancy restaurant. We were all dressed up and were excited because date nights were hard to come by with young children at home. Just when we walked into the restaurant I received a phone call from a single mom our church had been supporting. She had been kicked out the place she was staying. She and her 3 kids were unsure of where to spend the night. We left the restaurant and began to work on a solution.
Our date night ended up being very different, but so much better, than we expected.
Burden bearing requires a certain comfort with spontaneity. It can feel disruptive to normal routines. But it is worth it.
Sometimes burden bearing requires a long term commitment. There are situations that cannot be solved quickly. A friend who needs support after a divorce. A person who recently had a parent pass away. A teenager that is navigating a tumultuous time in middle school.
Bear one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
The goal is to help carry a burden until the time when the person is back on their feet and can reengage on the journey.
There is one caveat to this that we must discuss.
Most of us have known people that act as a bottomless pit of need and never appear able or willing to give.
We must be intentional to ensure that caring does not leading to burnout.
It is okay, and even necessary, to set limits when bearing one another’s burdens. You are not superman; you cannot do everything. But we can all do something. Later on Paul says that the ultimate goal is “for each person to carry their own load.” Galatians 6:5. Eventually, we want each person to be healthy enough to carry the load they are meant to carry.
But when they are in process, it is our commitment as Christ followers to help bear the burden.
Who do you know right now that could use help bearing their burden? Is there a person you know in the midst of grief? In financial stress? Loneliness?
May we fulfill the law of Christ.
On Sunday we will be in week 2 of our 3 week series titled Comfort in a Crisis. Our cameras are working once again. I look forward to worshipping with you.
“See” you on Sunday!
-Pastor David
