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Love Bears Burdens

“Bear” is defined as: to carry; to hold up; support; to be accountable for; to have a tolerance for; endure. We often think that sympathizing with someone is bearing their burden, but relating to someone’s pain, offense, sin, or worrisome situation can often just add to the weight rather than help alleviate.

Have you ever shared a bad report about yourself and someone responded by telling you how they knew someone who didn’t overcome such a thing? Maybe you were offended and someone shared that they were also offended, or just took up your offense? When others are burdened by situations or circumstances, we are called to help carry a part of the weight and help them through it, not add to it.

Here are several ways to bear another’s burden:

• Offer a God perspective that helps bring them emotional healing or a resolution to a situation, and help walk them through that process
• Lead them back to faith by sharing scriptures or testimonies of overcoming
• Offer to be part of the solution by meeting practical needs and showing the goodness of God in their difficult seasons
• Be the accountability partner that points them to the truth in the Word that speaks to their issue
• Pray with them instead of commiserating and jumping into the muck with them

Remember, Bearing one another’s burdens fulfills the law of Christ [Christian Love] (Galatians 6:2 AMP).

Point of Action:

What personal self-sacrifice, even small, could you offer to lighten another's burden today?

By: Melissa Schultze