Family Purse

“We each must carry our own load.” (Galatians 6:5 CEV)

When my son was an infant, I used a diaper bag to carry all the things I needed for him. Instead of carrying a separate purse, I would just tuck my car keys, wallet, etc. into the diaper bag. Once he grew out of diapers, I switched to a large purse. I took it upon myself to carry all sorts of supplies with me: snacks, mints, hand sanitizer, tissues, nail clippers, pens, paper, extra cash, change, medicines, band-aids, phone chargers, receipts, etc. As the only female in our family, my purse became the ‘family purse’--the vessel that held all the supplies we may need when we were out of the house. I didn’t mind carrying it; in fact, it made me feel useful. Thus, when I switched to a smaller purse that only had space for my essentials, it was an adjustment for all of us.

The 6th chapter of Galatians has two seemingly contradictory verses:

“Share each other’s burdens.” (Galatians 6:2 NLT)

“We each must carry our own load.” (Galatians 6:5 CEV)

The Apostle Paul instructs us to be empathetic to those in distress. He also reminds us that, at the same time, we are each responsible for our own conduct. No matter how much we want to help our loved ones, we cannot be responsible for their choices and their behavior. We can share our family’s burdens, but we cannot carry their load.