Bearing and Sharing Burdens

"Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." -Galatians 6:2

Have you ever listened to someone share a story or a struggle that has literally made you grieve with them?  Maybe it's a story of a loss of a loved one, a struggle with illness, or even an abusive relationship.  You feel that person's pain to an extent.  You cry for them or with them, your heart just doesn't seem to settle right.  It could be someone you know well, or it could be a complete stranger, but for some reason it strikes a chord of grief within your heart.  The idea of, "I can't imagine if this was me," seems to be unbearable and so you grieve.  You are sad.  You offer your support, your empathy, or maybe a genuine, heartfelt prayer for that person.

That's what God has called us to do.  Sharing our burdens with one another lightens our load. The Bible tells us to "Cast our cares upon Him who cares for us."  He promises to bring comfort and rest to our souls.  He promises to take care of us, because no problem is too big for God.  Sometimes God uses people in our lives to help lift or lighten that load.  I cannot express the amount of support our family has experienced through our loss of Jonah.  Many times while sharing my story, I watched the eyes of women and men fill up with tears and grieve with us.  People have prayed over us, brought meals, sent cards, expressed heartfelt sympathy, people have embraced us.  And somehow through each embrace of love and care our burden becomes lighter.  With every act of kindness, we are learning to embrace God's grace instead of the pain of sorrow and grief. 

It's amazing to think of how much impact we can have on one another's lives.  I'm looking at things quite differently these days.  God is teaching me to become a better empathizer, to care more for others and allow myself to "feel" the pain they are experiencing.  Maybe the issue of a friend doesn't seem to be "that big of a deal" to you, but to your friend it might seem devastating.  God never says that anyone's sorrow or pain is irrelevant.  He never gives a degree or level of which type of grieving or sadness is worse. In other words what one person might be feeling as sadness may not be taken to the same level for another person...and that's ok.  We are all made so unique and different.  We can't judge the level of sorrow based on our own feelings, but what we could do is carry some of the burden for one another. 

The thought of me being able to help a friend through their grieving process or help lighten the load of their sorrow somehow helps me through my healing process.  It's being obedient to God's instruction of Bearing one another's burdens, to fulfill the law of Christ."  Instead of having the "It's not my business, that's their problem" attitude, or being too afraid to step out of your comfort zone to help someone, think of what God calls us to do.

I am grateful and blessed for the dozens of people who have grieved with us.  Not only have you been incredibly helpful in our healing process, you have also set an example of how God wants us to exemplify His love. Thank you for your courage to allow yourself to feel sorrow and for your kind & loving heart that has poured into mine.  I am overwhelmed with God's loving tenderness and grateful that you are a part of that.