Galatians 6:2, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
It is difficult to imagine what life would be like without burdens. Mounce defines burden as “heaviness; a burden, anything grievous, and hard to be borne.” Another definition states that it is “burdensome weight in reference to its pressure, burden, load.” Perhaps if someone asked you to define it, there might be other words that you would use. If someone asked you what a burden feels like, your mind would probably produce many images difficult to describe with words. None of us are exempt. The burden that you bear could be very different from others of which you are aware, but they are heavy nonetheless. Our quick declaration to those burdened down today would be to trust the Lord. Obviously that is true, but is that all? No, we are instructed to “bear ye one another’s burdens.” Harry Ironside says, “The law of Christ is the law of love, and love seeks to help others in their distress and share the load with them.” Our Lord taught that the greatest of all laws was to love God, but there was one law inseparably bound to that one. We are to love our neighbor.
It isn’t always what we say or even do. When a friend carries a heavy burden, simply knowing that you care means so much. How busy would you be today if your shoulders were stooped with care? I noticed when my dad died that nothing else in the world mattered. It was as if the world stood still, and everything in me focused on nothing else. Someone you know might be there today. Do they know you care? Yes, it means that we are at times inconvenienced. Have you ever been in a traffic jam and found yourself complaining because of the delay? Then you saw why you sat still for so long. Maybe someone was seriously injured in an accident. The price you paid for sitting still was far less than than their price, wasn’t it? Every situation is certainly different, but consider what others did during your trial that blessed you, and seek to incorporate those in the lives of others.
It is no small matter to fulfill the law of Christ. Many words are not necessary. Great expenditures are not needed. So, how do we know what to say or do? Love! When care is conveyed, the burdened are blessed. In the end, only the Lord can meet the need of the broken, but we can assure them that they are not alone. When the law of Christ is obeyed, all are blessed even in difficult times.
If your heart is not bent in this direction, perhaps you could schedule some time on a regular basis to ponder the needs of others until caring becomes a natural part of your life. If you do care, pray for our Lord’s wisdom in bearing the burdens of others.
John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
In His Service,
Danny A. Whetstone
President