"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."  -I Corinthians 10:13 ( ESV)

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ...for each one should carry his own load."  -Galatians 6:2,5 (NIV)

We all have burdens we carry.  Some are more obvious than others and the degrees to which we share our burdens vary as well.  The toughest burdens to bear are the ones that are ingrained into the very fabric of our beings.

A great friend once told me that "sometimes the burden we carry is the very thing that suffocates the spark."  Taking this out of context, I'm going to use "the spark" to refer to life in general.  Our burdens snuff out our zeal for life when the burden becomes too great or too difficult for us to handle.

If you're anything like me, then no doubt you've heard the phrase "you are your own worst enemy".  This is because in struggling with sin and separation from God, we attempt to manage our burdens on our own.  In cruel irony, the burden gets turned back around on us as we attempt to process it.   As it turns out, the greatest burden we face is with ourselves and our fragile identities.

Our identity crisis is described aptly by Paul when he said, "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." (Romans 7:15, NKJV)  In our struggles with these earthen vessels, we must fight the desires of the flesh and renew our desire for God. Our identity is in Christ, our Savior.  He redeemed us from lives without spark.

The first burden to snuff out the spark went all the way back to the Garden of Eden.  Eve ate the forbidden fruit and gave it to Adam and he ate.  They blamed the serpent for this, but the burden was upon them and all mankind.  The result was separation from God.

Separation anxiety is a big burden to bear.  When we do not feel close to the ones we love or the God who created us, we feel like we are facing our burdens alone.  Loneliness points a finger back at us and makes us feel like we've become the burden itself.  Without anybody sharing our burdens, we feel like we are a burden to others.

No one needs to face the burden alone.  As people called to live for Christ, we have the greatest example before us.  He carried our burdens to the cross.  His death and resurrection made it possible for us to carry one another's burden.  We can support one another through prayer, fellowship and sharing the fruits of the Spirit.  In this way, we fulfill the law of Christ.

While the community of believers provides support in our time of need, we are still responsible to carry our own load.  This is because of the measure of faith God gives each one of us.  In carrying our burdens, we are called to take them to the cross.  Even when we are powerless to conquer our burdens, God is faithful to provide grace and mercy in our time of need. 

Each challenge we face tests our faith and strengthens us for service to Him.  The temptation is to see our burdens as battles we must face by ourselves.  While we do have to deal with the burdens, we can also set them aside and ignite the spark of why we live and move and have our being.  Cling to Christ, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light.