Bearing Burdens

The Bible doesn't always make sense to us - not because it is wrong but because we are wrong-thinking: "Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" (1Cor 1:20).

For instance, in Galatians 6:2, Paul says that we are to "Bear one another's burdens."  Reason would say that if I carry your burden and you carry my burden, we are no better off, we've only exchanged loads. 

But the biblical mandate does lighten our load, just as Jesus promised: "Take my yoke upon you...and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light …" (Matt 11:29).

Jesus' call is to a shared load. Sharing a load, even a combined load, is easier than carrying one by yourself. Are you aware that two draft horses can pull a weight together that is greater than the combined weight of their individual pulls?  Haven't you experienced how much easier tasks are when shared with others?

Sharing a burden between two instead of two doing individual tasks changes the fulcrum or balance of the weight, making it less burdensome. Bearing or sharing burdens together actually lightens our individual load.  Working together like this blesses one another and "so fulfills the law [the heart desire] of Christ" (Gal 6:2b). 

Jus' Sayn.