In one of his books Martin Thielen tells the story of a man named Gus. He got cancer and was angry about it. It was inoperable.

‘Why me?’

When he was in hospice he noticed a girl who was five years old. She too was a patient. It just seemed wrong that a five-year old was in hospice, dying. To make matters worse, the girl rarely had someone with her. She seemed alone for a lot of the time.

This made Gus was even more upset. He yelled a question toward the direction of the nurses: “Who’s taking care of this kid?” One of them replied: “Maybe you should do it.”

The response shocked him a bit. What should he do? 

Later that night Gus went down to her room. They started to talk. Over time, they made a connection. As that happened, Gus’ attitude started to change. He read her stories. He learned the kind of music she liked and played it to her. 

After a while, Gus died. A nurse made the following comment: “When Gus died, he died smiling. He was no longer Gus the fearful patient. Now he was Gus the friend of a five-year-old.”

In Galatians 6:2 Paul writes: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

Initially, when we think about carrying one another’s burdens, we think it has to do with helping the other person. And that is certainly a part of it—the main part. But what if carrying one another’s burdens lessened our own? What if focusing on helping someone else also helped us? What if it made us less focused on what is wrong, and made us more focused on what is right? 

As we think about our own challenges, let’s also think about the challenges others are facing at the same time.

“When Gus died, he died smiling. He was no longer Gus the fearful patient. Now he was Gus the friend of a five-year-old.”

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Notes:
-Bible quotes from the NIV.