Burdens vs. Loads
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Galatians 6:2
“For each will have to bear his own load.”
Galatians 6:5
The Bible is 100% accurate in all that it says, and it never contradicts itself. At first glance two verses in Galatians chapter six seem to go in the exact opposite direction. One says we are to bear one another’s burdens and a few verses later tells us to carry our own load. What is going on here. What are these verses telling us?
The keys to understanding these two verses lie in the context of the passage and the meaning of the words, “burdens” and “load.” First, the context of this passage is found in verse 1, “Brothers, 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.” Here we find that it is possible for believers to be deceived and carried away by their own lust into temptation and sin. We are not above being led astray, tempted, and falling into debilitating sin.
Paul admonishes the church to reach out to the individual and help lead him back into a vibrant walk with Christ because we need others. Ever the realist, Paul recognizes that the spiritual Christian could also be tempted so he warns the person to guard his heart by watching over himself. When I think I am above temptation or that it could never happen to me, I’m in a dangerous place. The Bible says, “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. (1 Cor 10:12)
He reminds us that there are some burdens that are hard to bear, and God did not call us to carry them on our own. We have been called out of the world and placed into the Body of Christ, our church family. The Bible warns us of the dangers of living an isolated, independent life. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! (Ecc 4:9-10)” If there is no one in your life that knows your weaknesses and temptations you are in a very dangerous place indeed!
I remember the first time I heard the word, “adulting.” I had a parttime job delivering food and I had an order at a dorm on the campus of the University of Illinois. Dorms and apartments are big business there, so they advertise heavily to attract new students. This dorm had signs, “Adulting is hard, we can help.” “Adulting is bills, we have an all-inclusive bill.” “Adulting is bland, we have meal plans.” One of the banners said, “Zero meals to prep, no toilets to scrub, laundry included, 24/7 maintenance, one inclusive bill, and quick commute to class.” I remember when adult was an adjective to describe a person who had reached the age of maturity. It has become a verb describing the mundane obligations of life.
There is a fundamental difference between the unusual burdens that can bring us down if we try to fight them on our own and the normal, everyday burdens of life that we should be able to carry on our own. In patience with longsuffering, we should shoulder the heavy burdens of others and help the person carry them. We also need to recognize what are the normal responsibilities of life and carry our own load. As we grow in wisdom and maturity, we need to be able to distinguish what is a burden and what is an everyday load. Trying to carry burdens on our own may lead to temptation and sin. To ask others to carry the load we should be bearing ourselves leads to dependency and enabling. It is not helpful to ask others to do what we should be doing for ourselves. To help others with things they should be shouldering on their own unwittingly causes others to become weak. We need to be willing to step in and shoulder the pressing burdens that cause others to be weighed down and so fulfill the command to love one another.
