The Value of our Burdens ?

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord" Psalm 55:22

Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For every man shall bear his own burden. 6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.

(my comments)

It seems to me there is a burden that we are called to bear (with the Lord) and one that we are not called to bear, but meant instead to bear with the assistance of other sensitive & caring saints.

It is a call & a growing up of Saints to get to the place in relationship with our Saviour where we can identify our own burdens, and see their value in terms of our spiritual growth as well as the growth of others. Growth is relative to our sensitivity and ability to determine the nature of burdens, which we see all around. We must, as the Lord guides, be able to encourage one another on our journey of casting daily burdens & hardships upon the Lord.

This is actually what a true Leader in the body of Christ will do. .... he will come along side of a saint, and He will labor and painstakingly often at times, not to carry their burden for them, but allow a sister or brother to grow in the Lord. I find often he does not attempt to carry the burden. He does not have a desire to make a saint dependant upon himself but rather painstakingly grow through trials and burdens, and become soley dependant upon the Lord. The servant is very sensitive to that point. He serves others in such a way however, and this is the key, that he is able to truly convey to this saint (who may be burdened ord troubled ) a great confidence in Jesus Christ (in Who Christ is) and confidence in this saint's relationship with the Savior. This is a great duration and moments for prayer. He does not try to carry the load out from under the saint. Overall the saint is encouraged in their own relationship with the Lord, which causes vital growth & trust during a trial and hardship. This is the nature of leadership and servanthood in the new testament.

I have experienced this type of interaction, free from the control and manipulation so evident often in religious leadership & authorities. There is such a joy and such an opportunity for often rapid growth in this type of atmosphere. If you are willing, by God's grace to become able to identify it when is comes your way, you will be truly blessed!! I would encourage us all to continue to seek this type of relationship within the body, ...but be aware, it may but sadly may not be found in the hierarchial institutional arrangements we often see. So often, eventually, they become detrimental to one's relationship and ability to respond to Christ in their lives as the saint becomes more and more dependant upon the system and not Christ.

The burden I believe scripture admonishes us to all carry is simply the day to day toil of our lives. It is wise to understand this through and through so we don't burden others with trying to get them to carry what we alone are meant to carry and ultimately grow through. It is also wise to realize when someone else is trying to get you to do the work of carrying the load of their day to day burdens, and I would say, step aside carefully but quietly. The brother or sister may not understand at first, but eventually, they will reach a place where they will appreciate and gain a deeper understanding of true discipleship and how important obedience is, at times costly, yes, but vital to remain connected and growing up into Jesus Christ.

When a brother or sister in Christ goes through a crisis, HOWEVER, that often is a time for others to come along side of them and help them carry that unbearable load.

Eventually as we mature on in Christ, we can be sensitive and knowing as to the nature of burdens we see in each other's lives. We begin to know by God's grace when we become a hindrance or a stumbling block to a Saint, even if we feel compelled at the moment, we need to get clear direction from the Lord concerning the nature and purpose of burdens in one another's lives.

So this text in Galatians is not a contradiction, as it might seem. There is great wisdom in digging down in the Word, and what it has to say about burdens. Verse 2 meaning when a saint goes through a "crisis", just be careful to bear the burden of others as Christ shows you, for we all will at one time or another need the load bearing assistance of others on this journey. Verse 4&5 refers more to the day to day burden that many of us are called to experience, the day to day burdens and travails that we encounter as we journey daily with Christ.