God’s Command to Lend a Hand

Remember the stories of how our parents or grandparents trudged through snow drifts, or thunderstorms, or beating sun,  uphill, to get to school each morning?  In some ways, attending school today is much easier that in times past. Many schools today are air-conditioned, dress codes tend to be less restrictive,  and extra-curricular activities abound.

The high school I attended was a three-story building, built in 1916. We all carried our books from class to class, unless we were lucky enough to have a locker in the main hallway.  No one used a back pack, and I don’t remember seeing them in our school-supply isle in the store.   Most students carried books for three or four classes at one time.  After school was no easier for those of us who walked home. My walk was over a mile long, as I carried books filled with homework assignments in my arms in the August heat or an unexpected snowfall.

Sometimes, the load would be too much. Carrying a heavy load of books was especially burdensome for a student who had broken an arm or leg, so another student would be assigned to them to carry their books around all day, relieving some of their burden.

Life is the same way; we are each called to carry our own load of responsibilities.  But burdens, those things that overwhelm even the strongest spirit, are not meant to be carried alone. In Galatians 6 we can distinguish the difference:

Dear brothers, if a Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help him back onto the right path, remembering that next time it might be one of you who is in the wrong.  Share each other’s troubles and problems, and so obey our Lord’s command.  If anyone thinks he is too great to stoop to this, he is fooling himself. He is really a nobody. Let everyone be sure that he is doing his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work well done and won’t need to compare himself with someone else.  Each of us must bear some faults and burdens of his own. For none of us is perfect!  Galatians 6:1-5

Seek ways to help those in need around you by easing their heavy burdens. When in doubt, pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you. And  remember that you, too, will need help along the way!