Recently, I heard a speaker state that loved ones are never burdens. A pro-life champion, I truly believe he meant well, but I have to disagree: caring for those in our midst is often a burden. Whether they are your children, parents, church or community members, or some combination of each, it is easy to feel weighed down by numerous responsibilities to those in our charge. Providing food, shelter, transportation, finance, and medical support to our loved ones, short- or long-term, frequently feels like an overwhelming burden!
To be a “burden-bearer,” known in the vernacular as a caregiver, can be a difficult vocation, but the word “burden” in Greek (baros) carries the connotation of importance. From eternity, the Lord has planned that you would care for another of His children (Ephesians 2:10)! Like a heavy knapsack filled with necessities for an overnight hiking trip, the earthly burden of caring for a loved one is weighty but can contain valuable spiritual lessons, such as patience, gentleness, and selflessness. Caregiving is not only how God serves as a channel of His blessings to others, it is how He shapes you into the new creation He means for you to be (Philippians 1:6). Through the “refining fire” of burden-bearing, your faith is tested to honor your Savior, Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7, Romans 8:29).
Like the labor force employed to bear great physical burdens in building the magnificent Temple of Solomon, bearing the burdens of others may prove fraught with struggle. Yet, it contributes to a beautiful ‘bigger picture’ as we share in the sufferings of Christ (1 Kings 5:14-16, 1 Peter 4:12-13). Jesus promises that His disciples will be faced with trials and burdens but adds that He has already overcome those difficulties, inviting us to trade our heavy burdens for His rest (John 16:33, Matthew 11:28). Saint Paul urges New Testament Christians to “[b]ear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). We serve others not to gain “points” with God or earn our own salvation (as if we ever could!) but rather in humble thanksgiving to Christ and in sanctified living toward our neighbor.
To feel burdened and weighed down with the care of another soul is not in itself a sin. Old Testament leaders Moses and Solomon felt burdened by their vocations (Numbers 11:11-15, Ecclesiastes 1:12-14). Even several books of the minor prophets begin by acknowledging their oracles as “burdens” from the Lord (Nahum, Habakkuk, Malachi – NKJV). However, we can quickly turn selfish at the prospect of the burden of caring for loved ones. We may grumble about sacrifices such as lost time, money, or sleep. Scripture is clear that we should obey God’s commandments and show love to others unselfishly (John 15:12, 1 John 5:2-4), but it even goes so far as to command us to rejoice as we pass through trials (James 1:2). Surely, it is easy to see our own depravity when it comes to bearing others’ burdens unselfishly.
Thank God, though, that we have Christ: not only as an example of altruistic giving as He bears our burdens, but also as the actual payment for the burden of our sins as caregivers. On the cross, Christ washed away each and every sin you commit while burden-bearing for others. Heaven is yours, regardless of your wicked thoughts, words, and actions in your vocation. He showers you with this forgiveness as your pastor pronounces it in the Divine Service, as you taste His body and blood in the Lord’s Supper, as you remember your Baptism, and as you read His Word. Now forgiven, God graciously gives you the tools of prayer, thanksgiving, and community to point you to your true Strength (Deuteronomy 1:11-13, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Psalm 55:22).
Whether you struggle with impatience, weariness, or selfishness as a “burden-bearer,” God forgives you. He holds you in His almighty hands and uses you to be a blessing to those in your midst. On earth, there will be no shortage of burdens to bear as we care for those in need. But one day, these burdens will be lifted from our shoulders in Heaven, where the Lord will see us through the lens of Christ’s perfect sacrifice and will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant! … Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:21). Rest in His unfailing love.
Mrs. Marie K. MacPherson lives in Mankato, Minnesota, with her husband, Ryan, and their six children whom she homeschools. She is author of The Story of Baby Shalom and Meditations on the Vocation of Motherhood (2018), editor of Mothering Many: Sanity-Saving Strategies from Moms of Four or More (2016), and a certified classical Lutheran educator from the Consortium of Classical Lutheran Educators (CCLE).