Burden vs. Load

Today when I was dropping Benjamin off at school, my eyes caught sight of a mama walking her little cherub to class. Her son seemed to be struggling quite a bit under the weight of his backpack. I tell you, the way the schools make these kiddos haul all those books is near criminal! Anyway, the young mom noticed too and proceeded to grab the rung at the top of the pack, to lift it just enough so as to give him a much needed break from his burden.

It got me to thinkin' (surprise, surprise :)...

Galatians 6:5 says, "Each one shall bear his own load."

This life piles on a heavy load and, while uncomfortable (thanks Adam and Eve), for the most part it is ours to bear. While God promises never to give us more than we can handle, there are times where we begin to really struggle under the weight of our pack and it becomes a painfully heavy burden. I believe when this happens, that part of His plan is for us to not handle it alone.


"Bear one another's burdens, and thus, fulfill the law of Christ."
Galatians 6:2

At first glance these two verses seem to contradict, but if you look at the word "burdens" in the original greek, it means "the excess burdens which we need to share with one another. This is in contrast to "load" which means the normal amount each must carry for himself.

So here's the thing. We each have this backpack on right? It's stinkin' HEAVY and we're attempting to carry it each day. But some days it's like every book in the locker is on our back and we threaten to buckle under the weight. What a relief when suddenly, it begins to feel just a bit lighter! And you turn and realize that there is a precious someone, sent by God to walk alongside, lifting your pack just enough to make it bearable.

It seems what the Bible is saying in those verses up there is that while we shouldn't expect help carrying our everyday load around on a continual basis, we must "go for the rung" when we see another struggling under the weight of a burden that is obviously too great. It's then that we are to step in and assist for a time...

and so fulfill the law of Christ...