Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” I wish this were simply talking about carrying physical burdens. But it is not. We all know what carrying a physical burden is like. It is carrying the garbage container to the street every week, hauling the saxophone to the school bus, moving our belongings to the U-Haul, picking up the baby’s car seat with the growing baby on in it or moving the recliner to a better spot in the family room. Many of those burdens are heavy enough. But, the physical burden pales in comparison to the burden of sin, sadness, stress, spiritual or emotional injury.
The weight is more for the latter in two ways. First, they are not easily set down. Trust me! I have experienced grief lately and have found that there is a burden that is not set down as easily as taking down the Christmas tree. This kind of burden is connected in multiple ways- emotions, relationships, spiritual strength and memory. When we carry the burden of loss or regret or broken relationship there is not an easy way to simply lay it down or set aside. Verbal acclaim doesn’t do it. Taking a vacation does little more.
Second, they are internal rather than external. They are attached to the person. Even the person who is being pursued by a perpetrator (a very external threat) is fighting their biggest battle in their internal response (fear and anxiety), even though the pursuer offers an external threat. The greatest burden is not the falling of the other shoe, but wondering when and how the other shoe will fall. Internal burdens have the potential to impact sleep, diet, confidence and in serious cases, the will to live. Even the heaviest garbage can has never threatened that seriously.
As a result, the biblical idea of helping someone with their burden is much more than picking up a baby’s car seat. A commitment to carry the most burdensome burdens is destined to be very long and very personal. If someone has the idea of Galatians 6:2 being an easy command, they are underestimating the point. Some burdens have been carried too long, too deeply and too impactfully to simply sit with a person for a few minutes to pronounce that it is all better.
Carrying a burden as Jesus did, means investing our life deeply with others as Christ did with us. He did not blow into the world with a few speeches and then ceremoniously leave. He did not feed the hungry and heal the infirm and then leave. He did all of that and stayed until he died. It will undoubtedly contain silence, words, presence, availability, prayer, wisdom and a willingness to come closely alongside someone to assume some of their weight in any way we can. Carrying burdens in this way truly does fulfill the law of Christ- because it mirrors the love of Christ.
I have found that some have truly learned to do this. Others are awkward, but willing. Still others do not see Galatians 6:2 as more than distant prayer or a quick word. But, for those who have truly practiced carrying the burdens of others, you are goldmines in a world full of burdens and desperately looking for burden bearers. This is one of the greatest ministries you and I can have.
Ready for the most significant role we can serve to help others?