Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
–Galatians 6:2
I remember some years ago when I had a problem with a toe on my left foot. It was just a minor cut. But before I knew it, that cut started to make me walk with a little limp. Then, the pain began to radiate up my leg a bit, making it even more difficult to walk. Before I knew it, I was hurting all over because of a little cut on my toe!
What’s often true of our bodies is also true of the body of Christ, the people of God. Among members of the Body, there is an interconnectedness where the pain of one member spreads to another. We call this empathy – literally, “co-suffering” with one another through hard times.
A primary reason for this phenomenon is that everyone who is in Christ is a partaker of the same Spirit of God. That means the Holy Spirit that’s inside of me is also in you or anyone else who is a believer in Christ as well. And when we see our brothers and sisters suffering, the Spirit draws us in toward suffering alongside them by bearing their burdens.
Desire to empathize with others. Carry one another’s burdens, lighten others’ loads, and lift one another up. That’s how you fulfill the law of Christ!
BEAR ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS BY EMPATHIZING WITH THOSE WHO ARE GOING THROUGH TRIALS.
