I have been feeling tired lately. I think a lot of it is some of the pressures and cares that almost every pastor has. The truth is, we all have burdens. Some have a physical handicap, chronic illnesses, or some abnormality you cannot change.

Some have spiritual burdens. Maybe your life is filled with constant attacks from the enemy or the struggle with sin is overwhelming and now you are suffering spiritual consequences. Still, others are experiencing emotional burdens like depression, anxiety, or the loss of a loved one.

I read a story of a Chinese woman who lost her son and could not find any comfort. She went to a wise man and asked for advice. He told her to find a home that has no sorrow and grief and bring him back a mustard seed and in doing that, her son would be restored. Days went by and she returned without a mustard seed, but with the understanding that sorrow is common to every home.

We all have problems and cares, and they weigh down upon us like a burden on our backs. It does not matter our race, culture, demographics, or social status, cares and burdens are universal. Every day of life here on earth brings to us it’s own assortment of burdens. So I began to think about this universal issue for humanity and will attempt to answer the question, “What do I do with my burdens?”

The most well-known passage for dealing with burdens is found in Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia. He writes in 6:1-5, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Each one should test their actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else, for each one should carry their own load.”

From this passage, we understand that burdens need to be handled differently. Some burdens are meant to be shared by others. Many different ones can be shared. According to this passage, one that requires help and support are the faults and failures of others. It is interesting to note that Paul is addressing someone whose sin has been discovered. It is easy for us to be judgemental and condemn them, but here Paul says to “restore them gently.” We are all human. We all have sinned in the past and will continue to do so until we see Christ. Like the grace we receive from God, we too are to show grace to one another, especially in these times.

The reality is, we all need help dealing with sin. It is prideful to have the attitude, it is my problem so I will deal with it myself. This goes against what the community is about. All the “one another” verses point to our interdependence on each other, especially in our times of brokenness and weakness.

Another area that requires intervention is in times of sorrow and grief. Death comes to all of us. In any church, someone is usually worried about a loved one who is very ill or is grieving over a recently lost loved one. It is an awful time, but we should be a people who show kindness to everyone because “everyone has sorrow of some kind.” As someone who is in their mid-50s now, I have seen my share of tragedy, sorrow, disappointment, depression, and grief. Just last week, someone I had known for over fifty years passed away. A gentle soul, gone.

In Ruth 2:13, we read, “May I continue to find favour in your eyes, my lord,” she said. “You have put me at ease by speaking kindly to your servant—though I do not have the standing of one of your servants.” Ruth was a stranger in a foreign land… she was an outcast. She expected to be ostracized and to have to do without. But someone came into her life and comforted her.

Let me ask the question: “Who have you comforted recently?” “Who has comforted you?” One of the purposes I believe God allows sorrow into our lives is so we then, in turn, can offer comfort to others in need. In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Paul says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

More often than not, we excuse ourselves from helping others who have gone through similar struggles as ourselves. Sometimes their experience reopens our hurt, but we should not wallow in self-pity and allow our tragedies to be wasted…God wants to use them for good in others. Many of you have been through things that uniquely qualify you to help others in ways someone else cannot.

Sometimes it is a little thing like a letter, note, email or text. Just saying, “I am praying for you” goes a long way because some burdens are mean to be shared. It is what being a community of faith, a family, is all about.

Another way of dealing with our burdens is to shed them. Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.” Peter repeats this in 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

One of the choices we can make when dealing with burdens is we can choose to carry them ourselves or we can cast them on Jesus. Jesus is our great burden bearer. Sometimes we cling to a burden and try to carry it ourselves. We can be deceived into thinking God wants us to carry something by ourselves as if we are somehow serving God by doing so, but some burdens He wants to carry for us… if we will let Him. When it’s more than you can bear and you don’t think you can take another step, you can lay it on Jesus.

A couple of things can happen when we cast our burdens on the Lord. One is He will lift the burden. I have seen people who were dealing with a health issue, and when they pray, it is removed. I have experienced financial needs and after praying, the Lord provided. Now, it does not always “work” that way, but regardless of the outcome, the promise of Psalm 55:22 is “he will sustain you.”

Secondly, sometimes we are called to carry the burden, but then He carries us. Many of us know the “Footprints” poem. The person complains when they only see one set of footprints when going through a difficult time in their lives, believing God had deserted them. The Lord responds saying, “During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

You might be going through a difficult time right now and it might be jading your view of God. You have asked Him to remove it or lift it but it does not seem like He is listening. But we need to realize that in those times, either He has given you the grace to sustain you or He has picked you up without you realizing it. The Bible is quite clear: God is concerned with every aspect of our lives. Remember Matthew 10:29: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.”

So what do we do with our burdens? Jeremiah Rankin gives the answer in his classic hymn, Tell it to Jesus. “Are you weary, are you heavyhearted? Tell it to Jesus, Tell it to Jesus; Are you grieving over joys departed? Tell it to Jesus alone.” “Tell it to Jesus, tell it to Jesus, He is a friend that’s well-known; You’ve no other such a friend or brother, Tell it to Jesus alone.”