No matter where you are in your life right now, odds are you are carrying a burden. Everybody’s got a burden. Some may be lighter than others, though it’s rarely healthy to compare them, but most of us can agree, the heaviest burden is one that is borne alone.

Throughout the bible, God is described as the one who carries our burdens, and this is true. We should always turn to God first to help carry our load. But God doesn’t do this alone. He calls upon us to join His work in carrying the weight of the world.

You may be wondering how you could possibly carry the burden of another when you have so much to carry already. We don’t always possess the solution our own problems, but we can look at the various spiritual gifts we possess and how they could be gifts to others. Maybe you have a gift of knowing exactly what to say when someone is hurting, or you’re truly talented at patiently listening while someone unloads what’s weighing down their heart. Perhaps you’ve been blessed with financial freedom and can give to another facing financial struggle…

God knows your burdens well, and he has blessed each of us with talents and gifts we may use to lift each other’s burdens. It is easy to get stuck in our own worlds with our own problems, but whatever you do, whatever weight you bear… Don’t wait for your burden to be lifted before you lift someone else’s.