Carrying Your People in Love
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
When you are having a hard time, who can you turn to for help?
Part of living in a broken world means that each of us is faced with particular struggles and temptations that we have to walk through, and going about these things by ourselves is hard. Sometimes it feels like we’re the only one dealing with sin or challenging circumstances, but that is far from the truth. We were made for community, and when we say yes to following Jesus, we are welcomed into a family of believers who are called by Christ to love and support one another through challenging times.
Jesus is clear about how we are to treat one another. In John 13:34, Jesus says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” This is the “law of Christ” that Paul is speaking of in Galatians 6:2.
It’s our job as believers to be gentle, merciful, encouraging, and loving to others and to step in with love when things become too much for them to bear on their own. We can do this spiritually through praying for and encouraging them, as well as practically by spending time with them, offering to bring them a meal, or helping cover their needs. It’s one of the greatest gifts of being a Christian: Christ gives us the opportunity to be His hands and feet to those in our lives who need it most.
And believe me that there will also be times when we become the ones who need to be carried and cared for! It can be easy to believe that we need to handle everything perfectly and do it all by ourselves, but while Paul does say a few verses later that everyone should carry their own load (6:5), he also acknowledges that sometimes our burdens in life are too much to bear on our own, and we need others to come alongside us to help.
I pray that today God would give you eyes to see where you can love and support the people in your life, and if you are in a place where you need support, that you would reach out to other believers, ask for help, and let them love you as well. When we love and care for one another as God commands us to, everyone is covered as He intended us to be!