The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. (Ps. 118:14)
One day, my wrestling coach gave us a lesson on the limitations of individual strength. He gave the strongest person on the team a gallon jug of water to hold with his arm stretched out. The rest of us ran in a circle around him and watched. At first, he laughed that we had to run while he stood still, and he noted how little strength it took to hold the water.
Over time though, the gallon weighed down his arm, and it got harder and harder for him to hold. The constant use of strength turned a simple task into an impossible one. When it became too much for my teammate to hold, our coach switched us out. While it was impossible to hold any longer for one person, the task was once again initially easy for the new person who was full of strength.
God invites us to bear one another’s burdens. This shared support lightens the load that any one of us must bear at any given time. Fresh strength can be a balm for weary souls. There are also times when we need to turn burdens over to God. What are you holding on to in your own strength that you need to turn over to another person or God? What can you hold for another person in need?
Be attentive to your needs and to the needs of others.
Scott Donahue-Martens lives outside of Boston. He is on staff at Awaken City Wesleyan Church and is completing a PhD in practical theology.
© 2022 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
