From a young child, I learned to recite the Baptist Church Covenant
and one of the lines that always stood out was “and with tender sympathy bear
one another’s burdens and sorrows:” It’s clearly based on Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill
the law of Christ.” (NKJV) But what happens when it goes too far? Some
might ask if that is even possible. I hear you saying, from the scripture
above, we are clearly called to bear our brother’s burdens so why even bring
this up. This morning the Lord got right to the point with a very simple
message for the people of God that I think answers the question. When I prayed
and asked what He would have me to share today, He said to me, “Let Me carry
it.” Alright then, Lord…make it plain! And He did.
First let me be clear, you are your brother’s keeper and the
Word is filled with examples about praying for your brothers and sisters, being
a blessing, and not being selfish. But so many take it where it was not
intended to go. The Lord talked to me this morning about those of you that pick
up the weights & burdens of so many that you have not been called to carry.
You find yourself tired and depressed and burdened down with self-assigned struggles.
Yep, I said it! You have taken on stress and heartache that God didn’t tell you
to take on. He told you to pray for your brother, He didn’t say to be his piggy
bank. God told you to take care of your mother, He didn’t tell you to take on her
attitudes. God told you to support your husband, He didn’t tell you to go
backwards in your walk to appease him. You can nod quietly if this has been
you. You have taken what God has led you to do and made it a heavy and hard
thing when God didn’t intend that for you. That’s when the bearing of burdens
becomes obligation and then leads to your struggle.
You see, Christ died on the cross for all of your struggles.
“He was beaten so that we could be whole”
(Is. 53:5b NLT) If you believe that, don’t you think He would want you to enjoy
this life? Don’t you think He would want you to be a blessing to others without
making yourself sick? This is a hard
thing for a lot of you to receive because you are wired to be a helper and intercessor
but you are not called to be everyone’s trash can. You are not called to be the
dumping ground for everyone’s issues and you never release them but rather
carry them for years as you slowly breakdown. God is reaching out to you today
and asking you to release them now. Let Him carry them. You don’t believe He
wants that? Read what Christ says in Matthew 11:28 – 30, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am
humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my
yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (NLT)
This is not an easy word to share with
people because it feels uncomfortable. I know because I have been there. I have
a burden on my heart for people, sometimes my heart will get so heavy with the
weight of people’s issues. But The Lord had to help me learn to release and it’s
still a process. I had to learn to pray for people, listen to their story, do
what I could for them or what I was lead to do for them and then release it to
God. He is equipped with the strength and the power to carry it. He is not
asking you to be Him. You can’t be Him. You will wear yourself completely out
trying to carry what isn’t yours to carry. Let Him do it. I challenge you today
to lighten your load. I challenge you to take those things or people that are
weighing heavily on you and giving it to God. Ask Him to show you where your
responsibility ends and His begins. He is willing and able to help you!
Remember that a couple of verses down from “bear
one another’s burdens”, it says “for
each one shall bear his own load.” (Gal. 6:5 NKJV) At some point, everyone
has to listen when God says, “Let Me carry it”. The challenge is obeying.
May God lift every burden that you are not
equipped to carry and lead you to a place of peace and assurance that He has it
all in His hands. God bless you! AMEN…
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