Burden Bearers Beware!

“Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.” (Galatians 6:2-3 NLT)

Do the burdens of others burden you? The word Paul uses in the above verse that is translated “burden” pictures the weighty burden of a ship filled with the cargo of others. It isn’t the ship’s cargo but becomes such when it is loaded on board.

We’re designed to only carry the burdens of others by choice, not by obligation, and then, ideally, only at the impulse of the Spirit’s direction. What am I saying? Sometimes there are those who take it upon themselves to carry the burdens of everyone else when the Lord has not equipped or called them to do so.

My “burden” in this post is to speak to each of us as the burden bearers of Jesus. The specific “burden” referenced in the above passage paints the picture of someone who isn’t deliberately looking for ways to sin and disobey God, but “slips,” as on the ice, with the result they do something that is wrong and are deeply burdened as a result.

Tim Keller gives us clarity when dealing with a situation like this when he writes: “You cannot help with a burden unless you come close to burdened people.” Often, we’re drawn to someone who sinned in a way we ourselves have sinned, but this can be a two-edged sword, thus the reason Paul warns to be careful you don’t succumb to the same sin, perhaps, again.

We have two temptations: first, to sympathize too much. We treat their sin as though they should have no guilt or remorse, though, they clearly do, and rightly so. EVERY sin is an afront to God’s holiness and needs to be taken to the Lord for forgiveness and avoided in the future. Ideally, we learn from our mistakes, but must also understand, one unintentional “slip up” can often clear the way for more intentional “slip ups.”

Satan seeks to introduce us to sins we may never have considered, by “accident” or with no forethought, but once enticed, it can become a stronger measure of temptation for us. When I was selling cars, I was invited to another salesman’s house. I don’t remember the reason, but while there I walked into his living room and playing on the TV was an erotic video of a man and woman having sex.

Knowing I was a believer, he laughed, as though to say, “I got ‘ya!” But in fact, it put me on higher alert to never allow that to happen again, and it hasn’t. Gratefully, the Lord has helped me set boundaries I will not cross that help me keep my mind and heart pure. However, had that happened to a younger brother, he may have responded in a different way and really wrestled with the lingering images.

The point is this: any of us, at any stage of our spiritual development, can see something or experience something we never planned, but nonetheless has impacted us negatively and led to sin. We don’t need a judge, we need a burden-bearer who understands, sympathizes, forgives, and walks with us into healing and wholeness in Jesus. Bearing another’s burden is a privilege the Lord gives us and for which He rewards us, when handled properly.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊