5 January Galatians 6

Share each other’s burdens

Galatians 6:2-3(NLT) 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.

To share each other's burdens means to provide support, assistance, and empathy to someone who is going through a difficult or challenging time. It involves offering help and understanding to lighten the load of their problems, challenges, or emotional struggles.

It is also a reminder to avoid arrogance and self-centeredness. It encourages us to maintain a humble attitude and recognise that no one is above helping or serving others.

Matthew 23:11-12(MSG) “Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.

Sharing each other's burdens can manifest in various ways:

• Emotional support: Being there for someone, listening to their concerns, and offering a shoulder to lean on. Romans 12:15(NIV) Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

• Helping others: Providing help by offering resources, advice, or physical aid to alleviate their burdens, Hebrews 10:24(NIV) And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,

• Sharing responsibilities: Taking on some of the tasks or responsibilities of the person burdened to lighten their load, Galatians 6:2(NIV) Carry each other's burdens, and in this way, you will fulfil the law of Christ.

• Working together with someone to find solutions to their challenges, Proverbs 15:22(NIV) Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed.

I conclude with: “The happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others." -Gordon B. Hinckley