Are you overburdened? Or do you live or work with someone who is? Aging parents, or aging, period, can bring overwhelming stress to all.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this subject, so I turned to the Bible. It turns out that in Galatians 6, in the New Testament, there are two references to burdens that may at first seem contradictory.
“Bear ye one another’s burdens” in v. 2 seems to indicate that we are to help others who are overwhelmed by life. Yet in v. 5, the command is that “every man should bear his own burden.” Which is it? Or can it be both?
There are actually two different Greek words for burden. Baros in v. 2 refers to an overloaded ship, with cargo so full that it’s in danger of taking in water and sinking. Picture a person or a family in that situation. Their physical and emotional resources are shot. They don’t know where to turn. They have taken on so much cargo, otherwise known as baggage, that they feel they’re sinking. They need help!
The other Greek word for burden, found in v. 5, is Phortion. Another nautical word, it refers to the normal load a ship is designed to carry. If a ship is to sail properly, it needs a certain amount of cargo. If it’s empty, it cannot set full sail and make full speed, and it tosses and pitches violently in rough seas. The analogy works in life, too. We need some stress to produce and to feel alive.
In another explanation of the burdens, the one mentioned in v.2 is like a bolder that no one can roll up a steep hill. And the other burden in v. 5 is likGreat Advocacy Tipse a backpack that we can strap on and navigate through life.
Bottom line, we all have burdens from time to time, and we’re given strength to carry them or to allow others to help us. And we can reach out and assist others whose burdens are otherwise unbearable.
Another blog post soon will cover a way people can team together to help families facing illness. Stay tuned.
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