Galatians 6:2 (ESV)
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Hey.
Has today been a good day for you?
Or did it come crashing in like a wave, full of demands, people pulling you in every direction, problems you didn’t ask for, and expectations you weren’t prepared to meet? Sometimes it feels like other people’s emergencies are hijacking our calendar, our clock, and even our peace.
Maybe you’ve felt it: that quiet urge to escape. To run and hide. To withdraw into yourself just to breathe again. That’s not weakness—that’s exhaustion.
But here’s the hard truth: we’re not called to run. We’re called to carry.
Not to fix everyone’s problems, but to walk with them through it.
What Bearing Burdens Actually Means
“Bear one another’s burdens” doesn’t mean solving someone else’s chaos or becoming their personal mess-fixer. It doesn’t mean burning yourself out while others sit back and watch the show. It means being present—available, prayerful, patient, and loving.
It means being the kind of person who’s been with God long enough to help someone else get there too.
When Paul wrote Galatians 6:2, he wasn’t saying “be their savior.” He was saying: be their brother. Be their sister. Be the one who walks beside them, not the one who takes over the wheel and drives their life for them.
The Problem With People—and the Fall That Brought It
Ever since the fall of man, we’ve been dealing with manipulation, denial, blame, and brokenness. People will lie to avoid responsibility. They’ll spin a story to make you the solution to their problem—because then they don’t have to change.
That’s not new. That’s Genesis 3 behavior.
But Jesus didn’t run from that mess. He stepped right into it. He didn’t say, “Fix everyone.” He said:
“Take up your cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)
And part of that cross is this: bearing the weight of walking with broken people without being crushed by their brokenness.
You Can’t Fix Them—But You Can Change You
Jesus never asked us to fix anyone. He told us to be ready. To be changed. To be rooted in Him.
“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” —Matthew 7:5
If we haven’t cleaned up our own closet, how can we organize someone else’s mess?
If we haven’t sorted through our own burdens, how can we carry theirs?
Spiritual maturity begins with personal responsibility.
If they came to you, it’s because God has either prepared you—or He’s inviting you to prepare now.
Worldly Help vs. Kingdom Hope
Let’s be honest: sometimes when someone asks for help, we start thinking in worldly solutions:
“You can go talk to this person.”
“Maybe try this program.”
“There’s a seminar on that topic.”
But they didn’t go to the seminar. They came to you.
And if God sent them, He’s expecting something more than shallow advice. He’s expecting you to carry them—to bear with them—in the Spirit, not the flesh.
What’s the answer most of the time?
Get closer to God.
Not just in theory. In practice.
Because when they see you walking closely with Him, they’ll want what you have. That’s when you’ve truly borne their burden—not by fixing their life, but by showing them a better way to live.
Final Thought: Don’t Let It All Stack Up
Some of us are trying to carry too much, too soon. We’ve got our own “closet” of issues we haven’t sorted through. And here come others, with dump truck loads of spiritual junk, emotional confusion, and tangled messes.
You can’t take all that on until you’ve gone before the Lord and let Him deal with your own stuff.
“Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” —Matthew 11:28
That verse isn’t just for the people you’re trying to help.
It’s for you.
Before you carry them—let Him carry you.
Prayer
Lord, I’m tired of trying to be the fixer. I’ve taken on loads that weren’t mine to carry, and I’ve tried to play a role that only You can fill. Help me to be faithful, not frantic. Help me to walk with people, not to work myself to the bone trying to save them. Teach me to be changed in Your presence—so that when the hurting come, I’ll be ready. Fill me with Your Spirit so that I can carry burdens without being crushed. Amen.
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