"Fellow Soldiers"
Watch
Listen
Read
Every soldier knows that their gear is their responsibility. It's hard to imagine a Marine telling their brothers in arms to carry their pack on the battlefield or even in basic training just because they're tired and don't want to do it anymore. After all, the warrior next to them already has just as much of their own gear to carry. And yet, if a soldier gets wounded in battle, others will do whatever they must to take his load, even hoisting him on their back if needed to get him to safety. In the same way, when Paul says that each of us must "bear his own load" (Gal. 6:5) right after commanding us to "bear one another's burdens" (Gal. 6:2), it helps to keep those two scenarios in mind. Because as we each take responsibility for ourselves, we also look out for fellow soldiers in need.
We're Cross Training to develop our endurance, one of twelve marks of the Master we're working on this year. Endurance comes when we look to faithful witnesses in God's word, grow stronger in suffering, remain consistent, and bear each other's burdens. So how do we bear each other's burdens, and why is it so crucial?
What You Need to Know
When Scripture says to "bear one another's burdens" (Gal. 6:2), the word translated "burdens" (baros) describes a weight — often signifying a heavy, oppressive hardship. Jesus used it to describe the workload of laborers who bore the "burden of the day and the scorching heat" (Matt. 20:12). In context, this burden we help bear might come as a "transgression" or temptation someone needs help overcoming (Gal. 6:1). But it could also come as a financial or physical need (cf. Gal. 6:6-10).
Burden bearing goes both ways. You may need help tomorrow from the brother or sister you help today. And that goes for even the strongest among us (cf. Ex. 18:22; Num. 11:11, 17). So, Paul emphasizes the mutuality — the one-another-ness — of the command. He says, "if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:1-2). As the old Bill Withers song goes, "sometimes in our lives we all have pain, we all have sorrow ... we all need somebody to lean on."
What You Need to Do
First, carry your own load. You are responsible for you. "But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load" (Gal. 6:5). We can make a huge difference in people's lives (James 5:19-20), but we can't control anyone else's choices (cf. Josh. 24:15; Mark 8:34). We must recognize our limitations and place boundaries when someone expects us to carry what God wants to belong only to them. We can grow stronger and wiser through practice (Heb. 5:13-14). Still, we can also fatigue those load-bearing muscles if we overdo it. So to sustainably serve others well, we'll need both mercy and discernment.
Quietly get involved and get to work. If we want to really support one another, we can't get scared off by the messiness we'll find in each other's lives. Keep yourself grounded, and don't look down on anyone who happens to need your help at the moment. "For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself" (Gal. 6:3). Our brothers and sisters aren't broken-down equipment for us to fix, yet sometimes a person's failures and hardships define how we see them. We're "one body in Christ, and individually members one of another" (Rom. 12:5). May we "have the same care for one another" since, as "one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together" (1 Cor. 12:25-26).
And when you grow weary carrying your load and another's burden, remember you have a Friend with an endless capacity for burden-bearing. Our Shepherd finds the lost lamb and "lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing" as he carries it home (Luke 15:5). Unlike governments (1 Sam. 8:11-18; Ex. 1:11-14) and religious leaders (Matt. 23:4) that ride on people's shoulders, breaking their backs, our King bears his kingdom on his own shoulder. "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). So we resolutely trust in our Lord whose burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30), for "even to your old age" he promises, "I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save" (Isa. 46:4).
Through the Week
- Read (Mon) — Luke 15:4-7; Matt. 25:31-46; Isa. 53:1-13; Rom. 15:1-7; Gal. 6:1-10
- Reflect (Tue) — How invested am I in others' problems and struggles?
- Request (Wed) — "Give me the strength and compassion to see the burdens of others and act in mercy" (cf. Luke 10:33-37).
- Respond (Thu) — Review your prayer list and find a way to aid a brother or sister.
- Reach Out (Fri) — Is it ever difficult for you to maintain perspective and healthy boundaries as you support others? Why or why not?
