Carry One Another’s Burdens
Smelly armpits & Christian struggles
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Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2 (NET)
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I’ll admit it:
This is a hard verse for me to follow.
Not because I struggle with carrying someone else’s burden…
Because I don’t want to burden someone else with my struggles.
Some of that is the good ol’ American independence in me.
Some of it is the perfectionist that wants everyone to see me as highly competent.
And some of it is my own ego that just doesn’t like to admit failure.
All of those are mere excuses.
Reminds me of the old joke:
Excuses are like armpits: everybody has them and they stink!
Well, that’s just as true for this verse as it is for anything else. No matter how I feel about sharing or not sharing my burdens with my brothers and sisters in Christ, I have a responsibility to do this.
Besides, not sharing my burdens prevents someone else from fulfilling the law of Christ.
… Yes, a strange angle.
Think about the selfishness it takes to not only stroke my own ego by hiding my struggle, but to be selfish by removing the opportunity for someone to be a blessing from God to me!
When I think about it that way, it gives me good reason to share my burdens …
Because I don’t want to be opposing God!
Something to think about.
(Of course you should always use wisdom around what you share and with whom. Not everybody needs to know everything.)
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2026 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the ESV®Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
