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He's Not Heavy—He's My Brother

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."¹

You may have read about the time "when Sadhu Sundar Singh and a companion were traveling through a pass high in the Himalayan Mountains. At one point they came across a body lying in the snow. Sundar Singh wished to stop and help the unfortunate man, but his companion refused, saying, 'We shall lose our lives if we burden ourselves with him.'

"But Sundar Singh would not think of leaving the man to die in the ice and snow. As his companion made his farewell, Sundar Singh lifted the poor traveler onto his back. With great exertion on his part, he bore the man onward, but gradually the heat from Singh's body began to warm up the beleaguered frozen fellow, and he revived. Soon both were walking together side by side. Catching up with his former companion, they found him dead—frozen by the cold.

"In the case of Sundar Singh, he was willing to lose his life on behalf of another, and in the process, found it; but in the case of his companion who sought only his own well-being, he only lost it."²

As the caption of the painting of the "Two Brothers" commissioned by Father Flanagan back in 1943, and copied from the original statue done in sandstone, says, "He ain't heavy, Father … he's my brother."

When we treat a needy person who crosses our path as our brother (or sister), the rewards of carrying them until they can get on their own two feet will far outweigh the burden of the load.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to treat each person You bring into my life as a brother and/or sister and be willing to help them when they need a helping hand, to help lift their spirit when they need an encouraging word, and to help carry their load when it is too heavy for them to bear alone—as You have so wonderfully done for me. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Galatians 6:2 (NIV).
2. Source Unknown

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