The other morning a young man stopped by the house.
He had been struggling with emotional pain and bondage, and said he hadn’t come earlier because he didn’t want to be a burden.
I shocked him by responding that he and his problems were a burden – that there were other things I could be doing that morning. But, I explained with a huge grin, it was my joy to be burdened by him.
He paused and thought about it, then nodded as he realized I was being totally transparent and real with him. Thus started an amazing time of talking, sharing and ministry.
That morning, as we walked together to those places in his life where the Lord had been waiting for him to come, he was able to finally cast his burdens upon Him and get free.
One Another
Scripture repeatedly says we are to share one another’s burdens. There is a price to pay, and a burden to bear, when we truly walk together with each other – hurts, struggles and all.
As we do so, for Marianne and me our greatest privilege is then seeing God daily redeem lives and set people free. It is a burden, but a burden of joy.
After that young man left later that morning, I teared up and told the Lord how honored I felt to be able to share his burden, which until then he had been carrying alone.
By carrying it together, however, we were finally able to bring to the Lord, where he could then release it to Him.
He found freedom, and I knew joy.
~ Jim Wright
Crossroad Junction 
Thank you for sharing this. I have been going through a few burdens in my own life and I have a great network of close Christian friends who are there for me and count it a joy, as I do for them, for me to share my burdens. We can all cast them on Christ, whose burden is easy and whose yoke is light.
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Thanks for the reminder that carrying others burdens is indeed a joy!
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In the health realm we look for the anti-oxidant that is the most powerful and costs the least… in the spiritual realm, carrying one another’s burdens has to be the most potent remedy of all evil, for it’s love in the highest sense of the word. Preventative and curative. I was thinking about this, earlier today… your article just brings it home, all the more.
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Great post!
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Yes doing this we find ourselves doing another’s ” dirty laundry ” sometimes – and before you can wash it – you have to carry it to the washing machine which means you will smell it, see it and touch it – oh to fold those clean fresh garments, then see the joy and thanksgiving on the face of the one receiving them – keep up the good work brother, the work the Lord has put your hand too.
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love your kind of work ! how they would inspire others… especially the burdened .
God bless you both !
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What a wonderful work you are doing….and all the young people’s lives you are taking part in & oh how blessed you are to be used of God !!! Loving people and sincerely caring and being real with them is a great thing !! Only by the grace of God we aren’t were they’ve been, God Bless you greatly !!
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