Believer, have you seen these words? Do you see the two-fold understanding of them?
“Share each other’s burdens.”
That means I have to let someone know MY burdens to allow them to help carry mine, and I have to be listening to learn of THEIR burdens so I can help carry theirs.
But… (yeah, I hear that “but.”)
But I don’t need people all up in my business and I don’t need to know what’s going on with other people. Just… NO.
Except that’s not the way God set it up for His followers to behave. We ARE to share what’s going on with us. Unabashedly. Unashamedly. And those who hear are not to judge, but to grab a section and lift with you and others.
Notice the second part of the verse, “in this way obey the law of Christ.” Remember? The way we prove our love for Jesus is by obeying Him. If we are truly His followers, we will obey Him.
I understand being hurt by those who are supposed to be helping carry my burden and have instead chosen to gossip about it. I’ve felt the sting of judgment when noses tilt up a little higher and they begin to avoid me. I get that. But God has followers near you who are obedient to Him. Those who will actually lift up and bear your burdens without saying a word to anyone about this weight you and the others are carrying. Ask Him to lead you to them.
While you’re at it, become that person. When you see another believer struggling, don’t just say “praying” or drop a 🙏🏻. Speak to the person and ask exactly how you can help them carry their load—HELP, not take over. Pray with them right then. Keep checking in with them. Do not avoid them. Don’t talk about them. Don’t think this would never happen to you.
Sharing is a two-way exchange. You help with mine, I help with yours. You use my strength when you are weak and I’ll use yours when I am.
The crux of the matter is, this isn’t an option to choose.
It is an instruction.
It is a matter of obedience to God.
Coffee, Bible, Journal.
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Faye Bryant is an author, coach, and speaker who helps individuals escape the lies of the enemy, live into God’s truth, and build a better life by first feeling, dealing, and healing their way through a stuck future or an abused past, toward a deeper path of purpose, and into the unhackable life of their chosen legacy. Hers is a story of resurrection: from death to life!
