Read: Galatians 6:1-10
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (v. 9)
When they were teens, my daughters had a nickname for their brother, Chris; they liked to call him “Sherpa”—as in, a Himalayan guide who carries bundles up the mountain. He earned this name by coming along on their shopping excursions and carrying their packages across stores and malls and parking lots so that they could shop without bags or boxes. “Come along, Sherpa,” they would say, and he bore their burdens for them in his good-natured way.
That was a pretty one-sided arrangement between our daughters and our son, but in Galatians 6 Paul is thinking about everyone in the church. He calls on believers to bear each other’s burdens, taking care of one another. We need to restore those who fall into sin, while watching ourselves when we are tempted. We also need to be careful to bear our own loads because everyone will reap what they sow. Once again, we see the connection between burdens and weariness, as Paul reminds us to fight the weariness that comes from doing good things for the people around us, “especially to those who are of the household of faith” (v. 10).
We are not on a solitary journey through this world. We travel with God’s children, helping one another as we go. We bear each other’s burdens so that no one becomes too weary on the way.
As you pray, intercede for someone you know that is struggling with a burden today.
Laura N. Sweet is a wife, mother, grandmother, and former Christian school teacher from Midland, Michigan. She writes devotional material for both adults and children, and her work has appeared in more than a dozen publications.
