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Life can be so challenging sometimes — we each understand this all too well. It’s not only the big things that seem out of our control, but it's also the little things we face each day. We forget our keys. A friend cancels on us. Our bank card gets declined. We wake up anxious. Negative thoughts fill our mind. It doesn’t take much to leave us feeling hopeless, confused, exhausted or stressed. We wonder what God has to say about what we’re experiencing, but sometimes just getting through the next few hours is hard enough. That’s why Proverbs 31 Ministries created the Encouragement For Today Podcast — a collection of 50 devotions to help you start your day with a biblical perspective you can carry with you no matter what lies ahead.
There are times our tears fall from our questions.
And one of the tear-filled questions people ask is, Why do I feel so alone in this?
It was how I felt a few months ago when life seemed too heavy. When that happens and the pressures of life press in, I tend to pull away and isolate myself.
In that season, when people asked me how I was, I would smile through a fake-fine answer while I suffered silently.
It’s so easy to let pride convince us that as long as we have Jesus, everything is OK.
This is as true as we allow it to be.
Because with Jesus, comes an entire army. An army of angels, truth and yes, people.
According to our key verse today, we are called to carry each other’s burdens just as they are called to help carry ours. Paul, the author of Galatians, was writing this verse in an instructive tone to be used for our correction.
One of the ways we can fail at the fulfillment of this principle is by not allowing others to see the burdens we carry.
Throughout Scripture, we see accounts of God bringing people to help support the emotional, physical and spiritual loads of life.
A few examples are:
Moses and Aaron.
Naomi and Ruth.
Mary, Martha and Lazarus.
But maybe like me, you wonder, How do we invite people into our burdens — without feeling like a burden?
Here are a few things I’m reminded of as I wrestle with this:
1. We can surround ourselves with Truth.
While God does send people to help us carry the load, we have to remember that He is the ultimate load-bearer.
Nothing will ever be too heavy for our God. And the more we remind ourselves what His Word says, the more we’ll have the right perspective of what it means to walk through heavy places with His principles and promises.
“For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:30, NLT).
2. We can show up for others.
We can’t expect others to be in our corner if we’re not consistently in theirs.
Start small.
Make it a goal each day to encourage someone. Share a devotion, a Bible verse or something to speak words of hope to those around us.
But in the end, let’s consistently show up in others’ lives as a voice of hope.
“A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need” (Proverbs 17:17, NLT).
3. We can ask with grace.
This is hard for me. But one of the most humble places we can invite people is into our needs. Not in a, “Can you do this for me?” way but rather a, “Can you help me see the hope in this?”
There’s a posture of grace as we walk through life together, and it begins with giving ourselves grace. None of us is strong enough to do this alone, but that doesn’t make us weak. Be as gentle on yourself as you would someone else.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7, ESV).
It’s not a burden but a blessing to be able to walk with someone through life and remind them: You are not alone.
Because I know I sure couldn’t do this alone.
Dear God, thank You for teaching me to share my burdens with others. Help me have grace and courage to be obedient in this area of my life as I both give and receive. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.