Galatians 6 :2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. [NIV]
Galatians 6 :5 for each one should carry their own load. [NIV]
Did you notice one verse says burden, while the other says load? There is a difference between a burden and a load.
Having my load, I have my own personal responsibility of my life, my choices, of how I choose to live.
Having a burden I have concerns, worries, cares, things that happen in my life. God expects us to be responsible for our life but I don’t have to go through life alone. I can reach out to someone for help , likewise I can choose to help someone.
To take someone’s burden means you have to be selfless not selfish. You celebrate them and with them when something good happens. You comfort and sometimes grieve with them when they experience a loss. You listen, you advice, you encourage, you speak truth in their lives. Also confront them with the truth in love when they need it. You spend time, doing what they like. It is about them, not you getting the attention. The receiver has to be willing to accept the love ,the encouragement, the GRACE, the comfort, the help and not feel bad about it. As a receiver I cannot allow the devil to make me feel guilty, condemned, not worth it, not good enough, feeling like it has to be something I earn. I have to not listen to the lies of the devil when he speaks , because he is the father of lies, all he knows to speak is lies. Let’s ask God to help us stop falling for it by holding on to God’s word.
Carrying my load is me not blaming someone else for my life. Me not making excuses for what I did wrong. It’s me accepting my mistakes and learning from them. Its me learning to make right choices if I want good results. It’s me knowing that the power to change my life is in my hands. I can’t compare myself to someone else. I can’t want to live someone else’s life and neglect the one I have. I need to learn to mind my own business. It means taking an honest ,sincere look at who I am and who I want to be.
In carrying each other’s burdens please know helping and enabling are not the same things. If you don’t know the difference, pray for wisdom. One way to know enabling is if you find yourself rescuing, saving the person over and over again. One way to know helping is that, it’s simply that [Help] assist , you do a part and they do the rest. You don’t do everything for them you do it until they can do it for themselves. It’s kind of mentoring, coaching , teaching till it’s learnt, while they are putting effort to learn also.
We all experience both sides of this in different seasons of our lives.
One day you find yourself helping, the next day it may be you that needs the help. So be compassionate, consider how you live. Allow those you do life with to love you and love those you do life with. Some of us have no problem with this, while others will do great in one area but struggle with the other. I don’t know who you are but I encourage you to grow, open up ,be willing to learn to love deeper. It’s all about love really, it reflects how you love . It reveals how you love yourself, others and even God.
Love is the fulfillment of the law
Romans 13: 8 let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. [NIV]
Romans 13: 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. [NIV]
Galatians 5:14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this ONE command : ” Love your neighbor as yourself”. [NIV]
This post is dedicated to my dear friend Natalie who inspired it.