Near the end of his letter to the Galatians, Paul offers this simple command…
Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
(Galatians 6:2)
Why does bearing one another’s burdens fulfill the law of Christ? Maybe the question to start with is “what is the law of Christ?”
Here’s what the Man Himself says…
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
(John 13:34)
Jesus’ command is that we love as He loved. Of course, He loved enough to die for us, bearing our burdens and carrying our griefs…
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
(Isaiah 53:4)
He took our burdensome griefs and sorrows and carried them on His proverbial back until He—in the throws of agony and despair—died on the Cross with them. With that in mind, re-read the command in Galatians 6: Paul tells us to bear one another’s burdens. That’s easy to read, but often hard to do.
Bearing burdens happens when you listen to to the problems of your friends and family and loved ones. It happens when you feel the suffering that come with their struggles and pains. It comes when you endure their petty disagreements and when you help them endure their serious heartaches. Speaking as a preacher Christian, it happens when you take all that the brethren throw at you, to the point where all of it weighs on you heavily and the pressure builds because you worry about their souls and want them to continue growing in Christ and not give up on Heaven’s journey…And all those burdens from the brethren you take and you bear until eventually it breaks you and you end up sitting in the shower, weeping over it.
And then you think “…wow, Jesus is a much stronger Man than I am. He bore it ALL; all the sins and problems of the whole WORLD.”
And then, with a greater appreciation for the Lord in mind, you go right back out there, ready to listen, take in, and take on the problems your loved ones give you. Because that’s loving as He loved. That’s the Law of Christ. That’s bearing each other’s burdens.
~ Matthew