Carry each other's burdens

Galatians 6:2

² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

One of the best things you can do is help someone carry a burden they cannot bear alone.  Every year, my students participate in a Play Festival where they perform shows for other high school students and judges.  They then receive an oral critique and later are honored with various awards, hoping to be chosen to move up to the State Play Festival. 

Over the years, this event has undergone some significant changes.  It used to be called Play Contest.  It used to be extremely cutthroat.  It used to be a breeding ground for elitism and division.  Then the attitude changed.  The Play Contest became the Play Festival.  The focus on competition became a focus on celebration.  An attitude of division became one of connection.  The intent of the event became to lift each other up in a spirit of support.  I have pushed my students to appreciate and support the new direction.

To help build positive spirit, I stress to my students the importance of carrying each other’s burdens.  As Galatians says, I urge them to help each other with their problems and pick up their cast members who stumble in any way.  As they support each other and carry each other’s burdens, they begin to trust one another and create a positive ensemble that is stronger than any I have taught.  In the end, the positive attitude my students created carried over to other schools and helped create a sense of community.  Several of my fellow directors even commented on how positive, exciting, and encouraging my students are.

This serves as an example of how carrying each other’s burdens can help you live in the spirit of Christ.  It is also proof that if we all strive to help each other and carry one another’s burdens, we can create a community that fulfills the law of Christ.

Written by Dan Treharne