I recently went on a backpacking trip with my dad, sister, and a dear friend of mine. We hiked about 65 miles in 7 days through the Appalachian Mountains. It was a beautiful journey but certainly had its set of challenges. Because of the steep incline and my uneven hip alignment, due to years of being an athlete, I suffered an Achilles tendon injury a couple of days into our trip. Our packs were about 55 lbs. each and the weight of my pack seemed to be increasing with every step. Halfway through our trip, we came to the conclusion that my injury was significantly slowing us down and we weren’t going to reach our next checkpoint. So my three fellow travelers asked if they could take some of the weight from my pack. I was very resistant to the idea because I hated the thought of them having a heavier burden to carry.
After a little more pondering, I was reminded of Paul’s instruction to the Galatian believers when he said, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” I then realized that this was exactly what the church was intended to do; to carry one another’s burdens. I had a moment of humbling myself enough to realize that I needed to let the church be the church. My fellow travelers were also my fellow believers who surrounded me in a moment of need to carry my burden. The weight of my 55 lbs. pack decreased to almost 25 lbs. in a matter of minutes. It took me some time to also realize that by letting them carry my burden, I was allowing them to carry a gift. By allowing them to help me, in return for carrying a greater weight; they were receiving a greater gift.
“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full-pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (Luke 6:38)
So, dear friends, I humble myself once again to ask for help by requesting that you join with me in this journey around the world by carrying some of my load. My prayer is that your giving will not only help this dream of mine to become a reality, but will ultimately be a gift to you.
