Life's burdens and the law of Christ

Galatians 6:2 (NIV)

Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 

What burdens do you have in your life?  What burdens do others in your family, church, and community carry?  The word in the Greek is “baros” meaning heaviness, weight, trouble.  The imagery is a person with a heavy load on his/her back who can hardly keep walking with such a weight on their shoulders. Burdens in life come in the form of unexpected suffering that make your knees buckle and you can hardly keep going.  A loved one in an accident…….your house burns down…….being abandoned by someone you trusted……..sudden widowhood……a call from the doctor’s office with bad news from recent tests…….a rebellious child in jail……whatever prayer requests we read in the church’s weekly prayer list…….all these are examples of burdens people experience that causes healthy and strong people to become overwhelmed, crushed, practically paralyzed by such burdens.  In these situations you are to do whatever you can to help them---walk alongside them, pray with them, offer them hope and encouragement, give them a sense of direction and guidance, help them make wise decision, and so forth.  

There is another burden to which this passage is referring.  That burden is described in the preceding verse that speaks of someone being caught in any trespass.  Yes, we are to bear one another’s sins and trespasses.  Paul is talking about brethren---Christian brothers and sisters---helping one another in our failures as well as our trials.  We carry one another’s burdens by restoring a sinful brother or sister in the spirit of gentleness.  It takes a person that verse 1 calls “spiritual” to restore the sinful brother or sister.  To be spiritual is to be filled and led by the Holy Spirit.  You are not to correct them or judge them, but you are to bear their trespass, their weakness, and help them be restored.

In all these efforts to bear one another’s burdens, you are fulfilling the law of Christ.  What is the law of Christ?  Simply stated, although volumes have been written, the law of Christ is to believe and follow what He said are the two greatest commandments  — to love God and to love others as yourself. 

While we are to bear one another’s burdens, we also are to carry our own load (Galatians 6:5).  The Greek word for “load” in this verse does not mean the same as “burdens” in verse 2.  It refers to obligations that the Lord lays upon each of His children.  Each of us have a certain weight of responsibilities and challenges that we are suppose to carry on our own; we must not over-burden others with some circumstances that we ourselves must carry.

May you pray and be wise to know what burdens you can carry on your own and what burdens require others to help you carry.  And may you recognize when others need your help in enabling them to deal with their crushing burdens and weaknesses.