“How are you?”
Fine.

“Really?”
She kept looking at me. I think it was because I was on the verge of tears.
I decided she cared. So I told her what I was burdened about. And she listened. The whole conversation took approximately 2 1/2 minutes. But it made me think.

Jesus tells us to bear other people’s burdens. But you can’t bear someone’s burdens if they won’t share them with you.

There are 2 kinds of burdens: the obvious & the not-so-obvious.

Let’s start with the obvious. These are the ones where I don’t have to know anything about a person to realize they need help. Many times, “obvious burdens” are physical. A person just had surgery or a baby {or both}; you bring them a meal. There are a million examples.

Then there are the not-so-obvious burdens: ones that aren’t readily apparent. They might be physical burdens – a debilitating condition that nobody understands, an issue that’s just too personal to share – or they might be emotional or spiritual burdens. These are the burdens that remain secret. They become heavy to the person carrying them. And yes, we are commanded to cast our burdens on the Lord. But we’re also taught to bear other’s burdens.

How can people bear our burdens when we aren’t willing to share them?
It’s simple: they can’t.

Many times, the reason we don’t share our burdens with others is because we’re afraid to admit that we need help.

But isn’t that what God uses to knit hearts together? He uses needy people to meet the needs of other needy people. Too often, I pretend I’m not needy. As if I’m there to help others but there’s no way they can help me. Oh, hello pride.

Let’s just get it out there. We’re all needy. We need God. We need each other.

Yes. That person you don’t care for? The one who is in your life and you wish they weren’t? You need ’em.

Basically, we all might be better off if we just started each conversation like this: “Hi. I need you.”
But don’t really do that. Because that would be weird.

Challenge: view all the people God brings in your life today as if they’re there for a reason.
{because actually, they are.}