Recently, a friend told me that she needed to stop burdening me with her problems. At first, this might seem like a good idea. Our friends don’t always want to hear about our issues, our fears, our concerns. We may feel that all we ever talk about is our worries and woes.
I remember my grandmother saying, “Smile and the world smiles with you, cry and you cry alone.” This saying seems to suggest that we must hide our tears, and always put on a brave face.
In reality, this is often what happens. When people ask, “How are you?” we reply, “Fine/good/well thanks.” This might not be the truth. We might be thinking that if we told how we really felt, they wouldn’t want to hear it.
Perhaps when we go out we dress up and put on a mask. We hide beneath our make-up and our false smiles. We protect our lonely, guilty, broken, weak, sick, hearts. Actually, we just THINK we are protecting ourselves. We don’t trust anyone to know the real us, the real issues, the real burden, that we are bearing. Maybe it’s because we think they wouldn’t like us if they really knew us.
God knows everything about us. Now that’s a scary thought! He already knows our burdens, our guilt, our fears. But the good news is that Jesus already died for all of that. There is nothing that can shock Him. There is no sin that is too big or too terrible for Jesus. He longs to relieve you from ALL your burdens, if only you would tell Him. God knows us completely, yet He still loves us!
If your thoughts are, “I’ll be right; God is too busy for me; I’m not so bad; I’m OK on my own,” then God will not force the issue. It’s only when we trust Him with the truth that we can’t do anything on our own, that we are at the end of our limits, and that we really DO need Him, that things can begin to happen. God desires to hold you, and comfort you like a mother hen comforts her chicks. Don’t be like the rebellious, or proud chick that thinks he will be alright on his own.
I told my friend that it is my Christian duty to share her burdens.
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2 (NIV)
I said that it gives me joy to be able to serve her as her sister-in-Christ.
It’s a strange thing, that when we are serving others, our own burdens and troubles seem easier. It’s not that I’m a super-Christian, far from it! It’s just that God has comforted me, and I am sharing that comfort with my friend. Jesus died for me! Now, I want to serve Him by serving my friend. Our friendship is deepened when we trust each other with our burdens, and we both turn to God for comfort.
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.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Do you have burdens that you hide from other people?
Why don’t you want to share them?
Do you know of others who may be hiding their burdens from you?
What could you do to help them to trust you enough to share their troubles with you?