Fulfilling the Law of Christ
Burden bearing is when someone else’s pain lives in your heart; it's the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see because when you carry someone's burden, you resemble Jesus. It's always easier to bear burdens for someone when they have been willing and cheerfully done it for you.
Galatians 6:4-5 tells us, “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one should carry their own load.” It is interesting to note that the word for “load” in verse five is a different word than the word for “burden” in verse two. It almost seems contradictory, but in verse five where it's talking about that load or that weight, it's really talking about more like your cargo or more like a backpack, like a soldier would carry. And so, in other words, there are some burdens that you can bear on your own. And then there are other burdens that are just way too big for you to carry alone, like the burden of sin. And when you have worked with Jesus, our burden bearer who handles your load, it frees you up to help others with their baggage.
There have, undoubtedly, been plenty of times where we have been slow to carry the burdens of others, and we've been more wrapped up in ourselves than in carrying the weight that someone else is enduring. We thank God for the weight that Jesus took of our sin. We want to commit to do a better job when it comes to recognizing the needs of others and putting their burdens ahead of our own pride. By doing this, we become a great reflection of Jesus and his ministry.
Discussion/Reflection Question: How does reflecting on Jesus's willingness to carry your burdens impact how you view the burdens of others?
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