Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
I have been thinking about this verse quite a bit. In Galatians 5 Paul reminds us that we are to serve one another in love and that then entire law can be summed up as love your neighbor as yourself.
This word burden in Greek means heaviness, weight, trouble; it means to impose upon one difficult requirements. So if we are serving one another in love there will be times where we enter into difficulties with those we love, there will be times when we absolutely must help bear the weight of some trouble.
As I think about this more and more I see that Christ was the ultimate example of this. Because he loved us, he carried our “burden” to the cross. I am amazed and a little emotional when I think of the weight, the heaviness of the cross that Christ literally carried for me; because of me. The weight of my brokenness, my selfishness, my pride, my...well you get the picture. And all because Christ loves us so much!
When I am thinking clearly I can see that because of the weight of the cross that Christ carried to rescue me, to restore me, how can I not carry another’s burdens out of love?
Tim Keller says; “You cannot help with a burden unless you come very close to the burdened person, standing virtually in their shoes, and putting your own strength under the burden so its weight is distributed on both of you, lightening the load of the other. So in the same way, a Christian must listen and understand, and physically, emotionally, spiritually, take up some of the burden with the other person.”
What a beautiful picture of having a relationship based on Christian love for our neighbors. To love them enough to get close to them; to share in the weight of whatever the load; Jesus, thank you for loving us so much that you would carry the ultimate burden for each of us.
Abba Father, help us to get close to our neighbors, to listen, to understand, to physically, emotionally, and spiritually take up some of the burden. To love as Christ loved us.
Grace and Peace!
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