Thought for the Day - Tuesday 25 August

Thought for the Day – Tuesday 25^th August

‘Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.’ (Galatians 6: 2)

 

Burden, like so many other words in our language, seems to be fast disappearing from our vocabulary with people preferring to use phrases which are a little more meaningful to others, a little easier for others to understand. So instead of perhaps using the word burden they might use ‘a heavy-weight’ or ‘worries’ or ‘anxieties’. Now I agree using words people will understand is always a good thing, but sometimes I feel when we replace words such as burden with these others words it somehow just does not convey the seriousness of a situation to others.

 

Now I know a burden can be a physical one and at times short-lived, like having to carry a small tot a great distance when they wish to be lifted rather than placed in their buggy (us yesterday!), or when carrying a heavy suitcase to the airport or to the car, or when having to carry too many bags back from your shopping trip but these burdens can soon be relieved and often by yourself.

 

However, we all know that some burdens can just feel like too much bear, can seem never-ending and may not just be physical, but mental and spiritual ones too. These burdens can result from all sorts of things like having too many responsibilities to bear, having too little money to live on, having nowhere to live, having to cope with complex family issues, having to cope with guilt, having to cope with losing a loved one, living with on-going medical issues, trying to avoid Covid-19 and so much more. These types of burdens are rarely short-lived, can be truly heavy loads for someone to bear, burdens which could potentially bring that person to their knees with the weight of them and the worry of them and the anxiety of them. Truthfully, I feel few of us can claim we are not carrying a burden of some sort at some time in our lives and whether physical, mental or spiritual they are always difficult to bear alone.

 

Guilt, fear, pain, sorrow, despair, anxiety are just a few of the burdens which can crush us or crush our spirit and while most of these burdens we cannot entirely shoulder for others or indeed instantly remove for others even when we might wish we could, what we can do is share the burden, share the load, offer a listening ear, show in a whole variety of ways that someone cares about that burden and about the one weighed down by that burden. Just being there to share someone’s load can mean so much more than we could ever imagine and hopefully lighten that person’s load. 

 

When we share the load and help to ease someone’s burden then we are fulfilling Jesus’ law because we are doing as Jesus would wish us to do, we are doing as he did, we are showing all people they are cared for and loved by God.   

 

Whose burden could you help ease today?

 

Prayer

 

Loving Lord,

In the offering of our lives and in the living of our days, may we never grow weary of bearing another’s burdens. May we commit to speaking up for the voiceless, to helping to heal the broken, to feeding the hungry, be that those who are physically hungry or spiritually hungry. May our lives reflect your commitment to us, your sharing of our burdens and your hopes of a full life for all your children. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.