Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Jesus knew something about bearing the burdens of another.  Jesus knew something about benefiting another at His own expense.  Jesus knew something about taking upon Himself something that wasn’t really His to carry.  And all that Jesus did flowed from His love, and so all that we do should flow from His love in us.  What is the law of Christ but to love God with all of our hearts and souls and minds and then to love our neighbors as ourselves.  And when love is the motive, those burdens can seem light.

Life on this earth is full of many different kinds of things that can weigh us down.  Sometimes we’re like a child trying to carry something big all by himself.  He struggles and drops it and doesn’t get very far until someone bigger and stronger comes along to help him carry it.  That’s what Jesus does for us.  He comes alongside and helps with those burdens we can’t manage by ourselves.  He eases the weight of it just enough so we can keep going.

And that is what we are to do for each other.  So many of the burdens of this life are too heavy and too much for us to carry by ourselves.  And we act as the arms of Christ when we come beside one another and bear some of the weight with them.  At times we just need some help with something too big or heavy or bulky for us to manage alone.  And other times we’ll see someone else struggling with their burden, and we can draw near and take some of the weight off of them.

As we bear one another’s burdens, we simply follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior.  He took a long and painful walk up the hill to Calvary, bearing the weight of the cross.  He hung on that cross bearing the weight of our sin.  But then He rose from the grave to life again to set us free from that heaviest of burdens.  He invites us to come to Him for rest and take His easy yoke upon us.  Burdens are always lighter when they are shared, so may we be willing to stand beside each other and offer a shoulder, a helping hand, and a loving spirit to those around us.