… for each one should carry their own load.
Summary: Just a few verses ago Paul told us to “carry each other’s burdens.” Now he says “each one should carry their own load.” We need to untangle his words to understand their meanings.
Jackson stood quietly, head bowed. The silence weighed on him. He felt as if the world had somehow stopped turning. Time seemed to have coiled in on itself, not daring to let the next second enter the room.
Someone in Jackson’s life had just died unexpectedly. Who died is not the point. It might have been his wife or his daughter. It could have been a sister or brother. It might have been his only son.
Jackson was struggling with the overwhelming weight of dealing with emotional pain. He didn’t ask for this pain. He certainly didn’t expect it. Nonetheless, it was here. Now. And it was his to carry.
Yet, for all the weight of his burden of pain, Jackson wasn’t alone. Inside his innermost being, he knew that God was aware of his pain. He understood Jesus was reaching out to him with comfort for this aching soul. He was mindful of the presence of God’s Spirit, quietly speaking words of peace.
Other people gathered around. Some gathered in person, others sent condolences, and most offered prayers. These are Jackson’s spiritual brothers and sisters. All of them offered a word of comfort. Their combined love (agapé) for Jackson could not remove the burden he carried, but it did ease the pain. The world started turning again, time uncoiled itself, and the seconds again felt safe to enter the room.
The reason each person who knew both God and Jackson offered their help was that they each carried a different kind of burden. The load each one carried could not be shared, yet, at the same time, there was no need to share it.
This is why Jesus said:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
The cares of this world weigh heavily on us because we stray from our Father’s will. When we wander from the Light (John 8:12), we stumble in the darkness, hurting ourselves and being hurt by others who have also strayed.
Jesus’ “yoke” is to stay close to him. That is a load we can bear. More than just carrying that load, we are strengthened to help others with their burdens.
Application: Stay in the Light.
Food for Thought: What does Paul mean by “carry [our] own load?”
That Paul is reminding us that we all carry a personal load of responsibility to God. I’ve read different interpretations of Paul’s last statement in the sense of whether it is a predictive future (we will have to) or a imperatival future (we ought to). I think both are true.
The Greek word Paul uses is phor·tiʹon, referring to something that is to be borne or carried, without any reference to its weight. Earlier in the passage when he wrote of burden, he used the Greek word baros, meaning heaviness, weight, burden, or trouble.
Paul is telling us that we should help carry each others burdens in this life, but ultimately we are responsible for our own lives. In my mind the difference would be if my neighbor works, but can’t quite make ends meet, and I have “an abundance”, I can share the love of Christ by helping my neighbor. But my neighbor shouldn’t grow to depend solely on my help, but should continue to work as they are able. And when I say abundance, I don’t mean just financially, someone may have wisdom, knowledge or skill in an area that they can teach to another so that the other person is built up and can cast off a burden. The other person is responsible, as I am in my own life, but in giving my time and attention, I share their burden so that it can be lifted. When you look at it in that context, sharing another’s burden then encompasses all aspects of a person’s life: spiritually, emotionally, financially, ability, and in capability. So that we can all carry our own load.
Chris,
Excellent analysis! Thank you for bringing out the differences in the original text. I also appreciate your thoughts on sharing burdens. It is more than just a temporary patch on a larger need.
I agree. Great analysis CH.
I too had looked up the Greek word for burden in the Bible Hub app that points to the Strong’s concordance. What impressed me was that the Greek word refers to the cargo or load of a ship. The ship had to carry the load. There are some things in life that others cannot carry for you. Jackson’s situation in the devotional is one of those things. The church body can encourage, pray, support in various ways (and all are helpful to reduce the strain), but the load is ultimately Jackson’s.
When my mom died in September of 2021 under terrible circumstances, that was something others could not carry. I had to go to God directly to deal with the situation and only He could bring healing. Friends and church family certainly encouraged me and blessed me and prayed for me, but ultimately the load was something that couldn’t be handed off because it was personal to me. Financial burdens and work can be shared, personal pain is different. I can’t give you my pain and I am not sure it would be right or fair if I could. But I would accept prayers and encouragement to endure in that pain. And hopefully the pain will turn me to rely on God and find refuge in Him alone.
Psalm 62: 5 – 8: Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7My salvation and my honor depend on God c ;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Thank you, Rich.
You have provided a deeply personal and very intimate look into burdens. Thank you for sharing!
God is indeed our refuge!
What does Paul mean by “carry [our] own load?”
A burden is something that is too hard to carry by one person. It is usually something that comes upon us from outside. It is not a result of our choices or the consequences of those choices. It can be grief, illness, or circumstances beyond our control such as you mention, the death or a loved one. A burden is emotional, or spiritual and we need friends to come alongside and help us with the burden. They cannot take the burden away, but their presence, wisdom, advice, or compassion and love strengthen us, fulfilling love: helping us move to the next level of spiritually maturity. These are within God’s will, and an opportunity for the faithful to come together as they demonstrate God’s love for another.
Load is like circumstances, genetic traits, and what you deal with being you. These are placed in our path for our maturing process.
We cannot carry anyone’s load but our own, and we should not expect anyone to help us carry our load. Loads are personal, individual, and our own responsibility to carry. Loads are like personal backpacks. A Childs backpack is not nearly as big as a big brother’s is and his, I’m positive, is much smaller than his parent’s. We cannot compare loads because our loads are the sum of our individual choices, and the consequences that God allows for our benefit, growth.
If we choose to buy a house, we are responsible for the utilities, taxes, upkeep, etc – that is a load we have chosen. We must carry it. However, if the basement floods, all of our friends come over to help us mop, wash, and squeegee, they share our burden.
Thank you, Ron!
Your story about the house and the wet basement brings memories to mind of something similar. When I was very young the house we lived in flooded and neighbors helped each other as did family. It was a very soggy teaching moment! 🙂