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Burdens

“Have we been living reactively or proactively? Each one has profound ramifications for our emotional, spiritual, and physical health. When we are living life reactively…our default daily functioning tends to be living life proverbially on our heels. We never feel that we have a firm footing in our lives. We seem always be in the process of responding to something unexpected or not planned. We feel at the mercy of the powers of this worldly life and at the beck and call of others. It can even reach a point where we feel that everything that we do, we do because we must, not because we genuinely want to do it. This can happen even with good deeds or tasks we normally enjoyed…everything can feel burdensome and we become burned out…we often feel that we never get a chance to do things we had hoped or wanted to do. We live with a profound doubt that we can affect anything in our lives and that we are adrift amidst a sea of external events, demands, and the needs and wants of others. It doesn’t take very long of living like this before we begin to feel like our lives are out of control. We feel powerless, become an anxious mess, and even depressed. We often also don’t realize how living reactively can rob us of our self-confidence. It is hard to feel confident when we have taken so much on that we feel we can’t do any one thing well and thus feel helpless.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul)


“It has been well said that no man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today, that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourselves so, my friends. If you find yourselves so loaded, at least remember this: it is your own doing, not God’s. He begs you to leave the future to Him, and mind the present.” (George Macdonald)


“It is easy to feel at times that God has abandoned us. Loss of a job, sickness, death of a loved one, struggle with an addiction, situational or chronic depression, temptations we struggle to overcome, and many other things can make us feel helpless and alone. Scripture testifies, as do many ancient and modern Christian teachers, that God never allows us to endure what is beyond our capacity. The Bible also says in several places (e.g., Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6, 8, and Joshua 1:5) that He will never leave us or forsake us. Of course, it never feels that way when we are enduring whatever it is we are called upon to endure. It always feels like we cannot possibly handle any more burdens. We only realize, retrospectively, that we were able to handle it.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)


“We Christians, if we are united to Christ, should be full of hope. If we feel the burden of the world because of what is happening around us to friends or family, or even if the news weighs us down, we still should be hopeful because we are united to Christ. Even if we have sinned and need to repent, we still should be full of hope.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)


“And see whom He calls! Those who have spent their strength in breaking the law, those who are burdened with their sins, those who can no longer lift up their heads, those who are filled with shame, those who can no longer speak out. And why does he call them? Not to demand an accounting, nor to hold court. But why? To relieve them of their pain, to take away their heavy burden. For what could ever be a heavier burden than sin?… I shall refresh you who are weighed down by sin, He says, and you who are bent down as if under a burden; I shall grant you remission of your sins. Only come to me!” (St. John Chrysostom)


“God’s goodness is greater than our goodness. His wisdom is wiser than our wisdom. His knowledge of what we need for sustaining our body and healing our soul is more discerning than ours. Therefore, in the spirit of the petition of the Lord’s prayer, “Thy will be done,” we leave the concerns and desires of our prayers to the mercy of God. Our Heavenly Father knows what we need before we ask (Matthew 6:8). Accordingly, it is a great comfort to cast our burdens on the Lord and to let Him take care of them according to His good will.” (Fr. Basil)


“…he [St. Paul] admonishes us to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). This apostolic rule is contrary to our modern heresy of self-fulfillment. The indulgent cult of self-actualization ignores the faith and healing found in the Body of Christ, and instead promotes independence and doing our own thing.” (Dynamis 10/6/2021)


“To bear with one's neighbor; not to distress him when he wrongs us but to help him to be at peace when he is troubled. . . sharing his burden and praying for him, full of longings that he may be saved and may enjoy every other blessing of body and soul -- this is true forbearance; and it purifies the soul and leads it towards God. ….to endure injustice with joy, patiently to do good to one’s enemies, to lay down one’s life for one’s neighbor, and so on, are gifts from God, bestowed on those who are resolved to receive them from Him through their solicitude in cultivating and protecting what has been entrusted to them.” (St. Peter of Damaskos) 


“…our struggle against sin and the besetting issues of our lives is never just about ourselves. If we inherit a burden within our life, so our salvation, our struggles with that burden, involve not only ourselves but those who have gone before as well as those who come after. We struggle as the “Whole Adam” (in the phrase of St. Silouan).” (Father Stephen Freeman)


“Of course, when we are so busy seeing the faults of others, we oftentimes forget to see our own faults. In judging others, we fall into temptation. Before we are quick to judge and condemn others, we need to look at our own discipline of avoiding temptation and doing what is Godly. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. The law of Christ, which is to love one another, requires that we bear the burdens of others. We help others carry their load rather than adding to it. If a brother or sister has fallen in sin, we help them bear the shame and the pain and work with them towards repentance. When they do right, we are to celebrate with them… We can all better help each other with our burdens when we lead with love and gentleness!” (Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis)


“For nothing so weighs upon the soul, and presses it down, as consciousness of sin; nothing so gives it wings, and raise it on high, as the attainment of righteousness and virtue…” (St. John Chrysostom)

“The Lord is the Author of the virtues (knowledge with righteousness). Man cannot have the Lord without the virtues, nor can he have the virtues without the Lord. Therefore, when man seeks the Lord and finds Him, he will also find the virtues of which He is the Author. Those who seek the Lord with this in mind (rightly) will also find the peace He authors.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Proverbs 16:4)

“As long as we think of sin and righteousness legalistically, we run the risk of thinking we are not sinning because we are following “the rules.” However, we actually are sinning in that we have developed an unconscious pride in following the rules so well that we are sinning through an attitude self-righteousness. This is a subtle form of the sickness of sin, like an undetected illness. We may not feel burdened by it, just like we may not feel sick when we actually are. This will keep us from attaining true peace through the virtue of Christ which He offers us through Himself. One day we may realize just how burdened we are because God, out of love for us and a desire for our healing, will permit burdens in our life until we wake up.” (Sacramental Living Blog)

“…the Master permits burdens in our life as means for growth.” (Dynamis 9/12/2018)

“God, Who is by nature good and dispassionate, loves all men equally as His handiwork. But He glorifies the virtuous man because in his will he is united to God. At the same time, in His goodness He is merciful to the sinner and by chastising him in this life brings him back to the path of virtue.” (St. Maximos the Confessor)

“Each person must take up his own cross. The burden in this world is different for each person, and each has been chosen by God to bear certain struggles for their own salvation and the salvation of those around them.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Luke 9:23)

“The Greek word for burdens refers to something beyond the normal capacity to carry, as opposed to a “load” (Galatians 6:5), which is what a person could be expected to carry.” (Foundation Study Bible, Galatians 6:2)

“Simon means “obedience”; this faithful man [Simon of Cyrene] stands for all who desire to follow Christ and carry the cross He places on them.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Luke 23:26)

“…the Lord assures us that He will give us the strength to overcome life's difficulties. When we have the Lord with us, and truly believe this, no earthly burden will be too heavy to bear.” (Father George Papadeas)

“Paul tells us in Galatians 6:2 to ‘bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.’ The law of Christ is to love God and love one another as He has loved us. This love is a voluntary sacrificial love. We are to bear our cross, to overcome pride with humility, and accept help from others when our cross is beyond our capacity to bear alone. Perhaps more importantly, we are to help others bear theirs when they cannot bear it alone, and to do so out of Christ like love expecting nothing in return. It is in giving and accepting the love and help of others that burdens do not go beyond what anyone can truly bear.” (Sacramental Living Blog)

“We hear again and again that God’s expectation of His people is that we provide for each other, and specifically, that we bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2, Philippians 2:4, James 2:14-17)…” (Anna-Sarah Farha)

“…he [St. Paul] admonishes us to “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). This apostolic rule is contrary to our modern heresy of self-fulfillment. The indulgent cult of self-actualization ignores the faith and healing found in the Body of Christ, and instead promotes independence and doing our own thing. May we bear one another’s burdens in love, joy, and peace in the Church family (see Galatians 4:28), for we are children of one Father and brethren of one another (Galatians 3:28; 4:6)!” (Dynamis 9/12/2018)

“Christians must be different; they must strive to carry the burdens of others, especially the weak. They must face the challenges of relationship and interaction with whomever God has placed around them, no matter how unlikable or unlovable, embracing both the joys and burdens. In facing others, we affirm our true identity as created in God’s image.” (Douglas Cramer)

“Often, the weaknesses of others may seem insurmountable (Romans 15:1). But we are asked to bear with their limitations, even if they seem to inhibit the growth of other Christians. How do we do this? We trust that God will transform our paltry efforts into true edification, using even our stumbling and fumbling to His glory as long as we abandon ourselves to His hands. It is much easier to put up with the failings of fellow Christians – and to do so humbly and gratefully – when we entrust the work to Him who does “all things well” (Mk 7:37). Building up others requires a depth of patience, strength, and comfort that God alone can give.” (Dynamis 7/15/2018)

“To bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2) requires that we actually do not see the person we need to help, or their circumstance, as a burden. We have to see with eyes of love. To truly see this way and have this type of love requires us to be connected with Christ. Otherwise it is impossible for us to do this in a way that truly helps the person who is burdened.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)

“Keep in your thoughts that when misfortune comes, you cannot throw it off like a tight-fitting garment; you must bear it. Whether in a Christian way or in a non-Christian way, you cannot avoid bearing it; so it is better to bear it in a Christian way. Complaining will not deliver you from misfortune, but only make it heavier; whereas humble submission to God’s Providence and a good attitude relieve the burden of misfortunes.” (St. Theophan the Recluse)

“If Christianity is dull and boring, if it is a burden and not a blessing, then most likely we are involved in a project, not a Person—a system not a Savior, rules rather than a relationship.” (Joseph Stowell)

“No matter how great our burdens or how deep our pain, God is able to comfort us. No matter how severe the pressures of daily life, they can’t separate us from the tenderness and compassion of our Heavenly Father.” (Luis Palau)

“You’ve got to believe that no matter what you’re going through, no matter what your burden is, He cares! God is not mad at you. He is not hiding from you. On the contrary, His heart is moved toward you. He cares about everything affecting you.” (David Wilkerson)

“Being so unburdened by anxiety and pride, we are free to live for others…What are we made for, if not to bear each other’s burdens?” (Nabeel Qureshi, Elizabeth Prentiss)

“Many of us have delusions of self-importance and by contrast view the needs of others as less weighty than our own, regarding at times even the common courtesies of small talk and social chit-chat as a tedious burden.” (Stratford Caldecott)

"The “burdens” of other people are not only their external misfortunes, but also their deep-seated defects of character: soft spots, blind spots, addictions, prejudices, delusions, self-centeredness, and so on. I am called to carry these burdens of other people, just like I, and others in my life, carry mine. Just like Christ carries mine and has them nailed to a cross." (Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin)

“If we could strip away the prejudices that fill our hearts and see others as fellow travelers on the same journey – each with tremendous burdens to bear – we could celebrate love and peace, rather than hatred and discord that form the basis for war and poverty that abound in today’s world.” (Marianne C. Sailus)

"I have this opportunity, to bear someone else’s “burdens” and fulfill the law of Christ, the law of the Cross, whenever someone else’s ego steps on my own. I am missing this opportunity if I’m focusing on my own burdens; if I’m constantly feeling hurt or neglected or needy. My burdens, perhaps ironically, are made lighter by carrying those of others. They aren’t heavy, when I identify them as my own." (Sr. Dr. Vassa Larin)

“Letting my favorite people in the world into my struggles not only gives them the opportunity to minister to me, but it also takes the pressure off by lightening the burden a little.” (Laurie Lovejoy Hilliard and Sharon Lovejoy Autry)

“Loving God is not simply “the first and great commandment” (Dt 6:5; Mt 22:36-37). It is the life-giving response of the believing heart, and thus transforms the commandments from burden to grace.” (OCPM 5/28/2016)

“God’s laws are no burdensome. They can be reduced to two simple principles: Love God and love others.” (Life Application Study Bible, Mark 12:29-31)

“Jesus never promised that obeying Him would be easy. But the hard work and self-discipline of serving Christ is no burden to those who love Him…If you feel that the weight of your circumstances is too heavy to bear, maybe it’s because the burden is yours, not His.” (Life Application Study Bible, 1 John 5:3-4, Jennifer Rothschild)

“Our hearts are much distressed and burdened, so we go to prayer and maybe spend much time pouring out our petitions before the throne. And too many times we get up immediately, rush out of His presence and often try to answer the prayer by some efforts of our own.” (John Wright Follette)

“May we allow His faithfulness to beam through us and lighten the burdens of others.” (Bruce Carroll)


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