When we take on ourselves whatever difficulty someone else is dealing with, their difficulty becomes our difficulty. In doing so their burden becomes easier for them to overcome. I was on the receiving end of this one winter day in Grand Rapids. We had a recent heavy snowfall and many of the side streets had hardly been plowed at all. I made a right turn onto one of those side streets to access my doctor's building for an appointment. The curve of the street dipped down as I turned into 10 inches of slush and immediately my car stuck. For a few minutes I tried gunning through the slush but went nowhere. What was I doing to do?
Just then a woman walked out of my doctor's building and seeing my predicament came over and asked to help. She offered to get in and drive while I pushed, but my pushing wasn't enough. What are we going to do? Just then a man walked up the sidewalk and seeing our predicament came up and offered to help push. Between her driving and our pushing the car came right out and I make my appointment.
Those two people had carried my burden. My trouble became their trouble. They had reached out and helped and my burden was overcome. As Christians we need to operate like that. Perhaps we can send a card, or make a meal, or pray with them on the phone, or give them some money, or share our experiences with the burden, or watch their kids while they go to an appointment or give them a ride. The list goes on. Make someone's trouble easier to deal with. Carry each other's burdens.
Just then a woman walked out of my doctor's building and seeing my predicament came over and asked to help. She offered to get in and drive while I pushed, but my pushing wasn't enough. What are we going to do? Just then a man walked up the sidewalk and seeing our predicament came up and offered to help push. Between her driving and our pushing the car came right out and I make my appointment.
Those two people had carried my burden. My trouble became their trouble. They had reached out and helped and my burden was overcome. As Christians we need to operate like that. Perhaps we can send a card, or make a meal, or pray with them on the phone, or give them some money, or share our experiences with the burden, or watch their kids while they go to an appointment or give them a ride. The list goes on. Make someone's trouble easier to deal with. Carry each other's burdens.