Good morning…
As we all face challenges with our loved ones, we flip open our Bible to Galatians 6. In the New International Version, verse 2 says: Carry each others’ burdens… but verse 5 says, …each one should carry their own load. Don’t these directives seem to contradict? Digging beneath the surface, we uncover fresh insight.
“The Greek word for burden means “excess burdens,” or burdens that are too heavy that they weigh us down. These burdens are like boulders. They can crush us. We shouldn’t expect to carry a boulder by ourselves! It would break our backs. We need help with the boulders – those times of crisis and tragedy in our lives. In contrast, the Greek word for load means “cargo,” or “the burden of daily toil.” The word describes the everyday things we all need to do. These loads are like knapsacks. Knapsacks are possible to carry. We are expected to carry our own. We are expected to deal with our own feelings, attitudes, and behaviors, as well as the responsibilities God has given to each one of us, even though it takes effort. Problems arise when people act as if their “boulders” are daily loads, and refuse help, or as if their “daily loads” are boulders they shouldn’t have to carry. The results of these two instances are either perpetual pain or irresponsibility,” (Boundaries: When to Say Yes and How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life by Cloud and Townsend, p. 33).
When facing needs in the lives of our friends and family members, we must ask ourselves, “Is this a burden or is this a load? Is this a huge boulder I need to help shoulder? Or is this a daily life, knapsack issue God is equipping my loved one to carry?”
Galatians 6:4 (AMP) hands us a key to unlock our discernment process: But each one must carefully scrutinize his own work [examining his actions, attitudes, and behavior], and then he can have the personal satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable without comparing himself to another. Seeking to discover our best way to help, we need to scrutinize the personal motivation behind our actions, our attitudes, and our behaviors. Am I taking things out of the knapsack of my loved one because I see them as incapable, weak? Do I secretly want them to continue their dependence upon me so that I can secure their love? Is rescuing the inter-generational pattern in our family, an unhealthy pattern I am afraid to break? Would I feel too guilty, too selfish if I did not rush in to save? Is God calling me to help shoulder a boulder in the life of my loved one, a mammoth boulder rolling down from crisis or tragedy? As we turn our soul-searching into honest prayer, God will reveal His answer and, through continued prayer, the LORD will equip us with the inner strength to follow through. Shedding our need to compare ourselves to others, we will receive the personable satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable in the eyes of God.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT),
Sue
