Skip to main content

Burdens and Loads

          Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load. (Galatians 6:2-5)

          I’m sure I’ve written about this before, and part of the discussion was the difference between a burden and a load, but it wasn’t this year. Looking up the term burden in a Bible resource, it claims this use of it refers to oppression. If we love others enough to stand with them and share their oppression, we’re fulfilling the law. The other use is as a prophetic vision. There’s another way that we use the word burden. It can refer to something we care deeply about. Some people have a burden for the lost. Some have a burden for the environment. Some have a burden to teach children. There are lots of those sorts of burdens.

Unfortunately, the same source doesn’t define load. That makes it hard to put the two ideas on the examination table. In general, my sense is that a load refers to one’s responsibilities, problems, etc. I’m a little more comfortable with that. Or, I think I’m comfortable, but I’m probably trying to carry other people’s loads and feeling guilty because I can’t.

          With this being a time of endings and beginnings for me, I’d like to have clarity – what others would probably call extreme clarity. No room for any ambiguity. Part of the problem is that I also want to be three to six steps ahead. Having not ended the end yet, I am frustrated with not having completed the beginning. So, today’s passage seems to be a good one for consideration. What are my burdens? What are yours? What are my loads? What are yours? Are they worthy of being called burdens or loads? It should be obvious that yours and mine may not be the same, because otherwise we can’t be called to bear someone else’s burden or to carry our own loads.

          Care to join me in the prayer challenge?

          Lord, please reveal my burdens to me. Help me see when I can help carry those of others. Use them to show me who You want me to be.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Think About These Things

                 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8) This passage is a major challenge for me. Like everyone else, I struggle to keep my thoughts from wandering off into the weeds, then wondering what possible benefits those weeds might have… Sigh. But as a writer, I have to delve at least a little into the ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, and debased. After all, there’s no story if everything’s just as it should be and everyone’s happy. As Christians, there are times when we need to deal with all the negatives, but that makes it even more important that we practice turning our minds by force of attention to what is noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. It’s just too easy to get stuck in a swamp. With my...
1 comment
Read more

Higher Thoughts

  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the  Lord . “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)           The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments,   for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord      so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (I Corinthians 2:15-16) If you read about the ancient gods of the various peoples, you’ll find that they think just like people. In fact, they think just like the sort of people we really wouldn’t want to be around. They think like the most corrupt Hollywood producer or, like hormone overloaded teens with no upbringing.   It’s embarrassing to read. I have a friend who argues that because God is not just like us, He is so vastly dif...
2 comments
Read more

Pure...

            The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (I Timothy 1:5)   I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16) I’m probably cheating - or mishandling the Bible, but earlier I was thinking about love being pure and purifying. And hatred being pure and purifying. And anger…joy…patience… fear… jealousy… courage…lust… and other strongly felt feelings, attitudes, and beliefs. Today’s verse brings purity and love together, so it’s the verse of the day, but it’s not really the focus. That means my motive for sharing it with you probably isn’t pure. As you read through my list, you   probably thought, “Yeah” about some, and “What’s she on?” about others. But consider how much hatred, a...
Post a Comment
Read more