Volunteer Centered Thoughts: Bearing Burdens

I recently spent some time in a men’s Bible study group that covered the book of Galatians. In chapter 6, Paul speaks of bearing one another’s burdens (v2) and but also of carrying your own load (v5). As I studied these verses to resolve where the line between bearing burdens and shouldering one’s own burdens is drawn, I found these interesting notes from J. Vernon McGee:

v. 2 — “Burdens” (Greek: baros) is “weight.” Bear one another up
in frailty, weakness, grief, tension or pressure.

v. 5 — “Burden” (Greek: phortion) is something to be borne, as a
ship’s cargo; a child in the womb; a responsibility. Dr. Phillips has a
good interpretation: “Shoulder his own pack.”

He goes on to clarify:

There are burdens you can share; there are burdens you must bear
alone. We are born alone, become sick alone, suffer alone, face problems
alone, and go through the valley of the shadow of death alone.
We go before the judgment seat of Christ alone (see Romans 14:12;
2 Corinthians 5:10).

For those burdens that do not have to be shouldered alone, he puts forth this thought:

“A load is half a load when two are carrying it.”

Why not let others help shoulder the burden of leadership for you by allowing God to deliver leaders that can help your team do more together than you could ever do alone?

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