Living By The Spirit

The bible makes it clear, when we’re supposed to continue loving and helping someone, and when it becomes unloving to continue to help someone. It says in Galatians 6:2, to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. That’s a big statement. Bearing one another’s burdens is fulfilling the very thing that Jesus Christ came to do. But three verses later, it says, but each person ought to bear their own load. That’s confusing. Should we bear their burden, or should we bear their load? Because it says not to bear their load, but to bear their burden.

The distinction, according to the Greek, when we bear one another’s burdens, it means to empathize with someone, but to bear one another’s load is to take responsibility for someone’s actions and for their life, and that’s when it becomes unhealthy. When we take responsibility for someone who is toxic towards us and others, and not willing to help themselves by taking responsibility for their part, we’re hurting and enabling them. When we empathize with them, as Christ has done for us, that’s when we fulfill the law of Christ. To empathize with someone is to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgave you. To rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. To be likeminded, sympathetic, loving one another with understanding, care, and humility.

So, we are to empathize with all people, but not to take responsibility for them. That’s not our role, that’s God’s role. And taking responsibility for another person is not only unhelpful, it’s unloving.