Galatians 6:2 & 5

Carry each other’s burdens; that’s the way to fulfill the Messiah’s law.

Each of you, you see, will have to carry your own load.

There’s a difference between a burden and a load.

Our burdens can be taken on by others. We can help carry, and even entirely carry, other’s burdens. Much of this is simply being there for someone. Being beside someone during a great sadness. Visiting someone who is very sick, maybe in the hospital. We can also carry someone’s financial burden. We can help a single mom by running errands which she has no time for…

As Christians, we are to bear each other’s burdens.

But your load is yours alone to carry. This is your personal task of self-examination and self-correction which no one else can do for you. This is your personal responsibility.

I can encourage you in your walk with Christ, maybe even inspire you, but I cannot walk with Christ for you, or actually improve you. If I say to you, “You make me a better person”, what I’m really saying is, “You inspire me to take personal responsibility for my living which is ultimately between me and God alone. Thank you.” For I will not be judged in comparison to others, so it does us no good to try to become more like God through comparison to others.

As a kid, I was obsessed with Harrison Ford, especially his characters Han Solo and Indiana Jones. I remember for my third grade school picture I tried as hard as I could to imitate this certain smile that Ford had in a scene that I loved. It cracks me up to look at it now and how it’s so not me. But the point is, I wanted to emulate Harrison Ford, so I studied him, stared at him, watched him over and over. I didn’t try to imitate other people who were also trying to be like him—then you’re doing the whole copy of a copy thing. That’s ridiculous! Nor did I try to imitate other actors who were not Harrison Ford. I didn’t want to be Burt Reynolds! I wanted to be like Harrison Ford!