May 18, 2023
Melissa Valerio
Let’s take a lesson from the ant. Besides being a nuisance, they can actually teach us something very profound. Ants live and work together in a team called a colony. You’ve got the Queen, the drones (males), soldiers, and workers. Interestingly, all of them need each other in order to accomplish their goal — to build and maintain their homes. While one ant can carry a few hundred times its own weight, working together to share the load, a team of ants can carry thousands of times their own weight. Which clearly means, the heavier the load, the more help is needed.
I wonder if this is what Paul was saying when he wrote “Carry one another’s burdens; and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 (NET) I understand the context is spiritual, because the verse prior talks about gently restoring someone who has fallen into sin. But I wonder if we can apply this to ALL burdens we see around us. Like financial burdens, emotional burdens, physical burdens, relational burdens, and burdens in the workplace or school. Can’t we apply this principle to those areas too? See how the ants share the load when it’s too much for one ant to bear alone? Much like Simon, the Cyrenian, who was forced to carry Jesus’ cross to Golgotha when it became too much for Jesus (Luke 23:26). We’re no different. Not one of us was meant to travel this life alone, and when things get unbearably hard, we are the ones who have the privilege of coming alongside our neighbor (i.e., ANYONE that needs help) and helping them share the load. In this way, we will be fulfilling the law of Christ by loving, in action, those people He’s brought into our lives.
Prayer: Dear God in Heaven, Your love for us is amazing. You carried the greatest burden of ours, sin and death, and nailed it to the cross. Thank You for lifting that load off our shoulders, we are forever grateful. We would love the opportunity to display that same love by lightening the load of someone else during a challenging time. Bring us someone who needs help. Put us exactly where we can be of most usefulness in someone else’s life. Open our eyes to see their need and open our hearts to act. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Action: Do you know someone in distress (of any kind)? If you can’t think of anyone, ask the Lord to bring someone to you. Consider how you can lighten their load. Show them they are not alone in this journey by bearing the burden with them by sharing your time, resources, strength, energy, and prayer!