Here, Hold This For Me...

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal. 6:2)

At the end of a letter in which Paul has thrown open the discussion of what it looks like to be a person with God's breath in you and what kind of fruit comes out of that person, he brings the internal realities to the external situation.

In other words, you all who are being patient and kind and everything in between must also bear each others burdens.

We should be able to be looked at by others that walk this road of faith with us and asked, "Can you help me carry this?"

Where else would we learn patience?

Goodness?

Gentleness?

Kindness?

Self-control?

We all have people in our lives that we come alongside and help - those we carry burdens for and those we love by walking with them through difficult and trial.

Whose burdens are we avoiding, though? Who have we disqualified from our involvement as their "burden-spotter" because their burden is too messy? Too irrational? Too much for us?

Who are you being challenged to carry a burden for today and what is the source of the resistance or acceptance that you're expressing to them?

A missional life will, by definition, have a working knowledge of burden-bearing and will seek out opportunities to do so.