In the last four months, we’ve had four birthdays in our household. We’ve had to be creative in our celebrating, but we’ve had some training in this area through all of our moves and involvement with ministry. Gathering family and friends to celebrate our babies has become a cherished memory, and we’ve developed new traditions in the last five years to celebrate at home as best as we can with our crew of six.

Today my baby turns 7, which is amazing and seems impossible all at once. I’ve been cooking and baking her list of requests for the last 24 hours. I’ve been scrolling through pictures of her life (the ones my phone had room for). We knew she would be the one to complete our family, so I’ve been able to cherish each “last” and savor every stage of life with her.

On one hand, with two birthdays in eight days, I’ve been thinking about celebrations and the sweetness of life. I look at my family and I’m thankful for each person; even in the hardship, there is beauty to behold.

On the other hand, as I become acquainted with racism and our nation’s history, as I learn the names of people whose lives have unjustly been cut short…

It can be hard to celebrate reality when reality is hard.

There’s a lot of heaviness right now in our country.

A lot of burden.

A lot of stress.

A lot of issues.

A lot of opinions.

In this lengthy season of sheltering at home that has turned into summer, I’ve had time to ponder motherhood and the uniqueness of my four children.

My kids each have their own struggles and battles, and I’m trying my best to help guide them and love them through each one.

I look at the mountains they’re facing, the lies they’ve been exposed to, the heartache they feel.

Then I reflect on what friends, family members, and strangers are going through – the various troubles requiring endurance.

There’s a lot of listening, learning, unlearning, leaning in, and loving through.

As I sit with the heaviness, the world can feel like a dark, cold, lonely place. Even in the midst of summer.

But outside my window, the birds keep chirping their song. A pattern for some, full of cadence and rhythm. Others seem to sing their own song, the symphony sounding a bit more like cacophony. But none of them lacks soul or courage in their unique contribution.

A phrase from Galatians 6:2 comes to mind: “Bear one another’s burdens.”

Those four words can be daunting and overwhelming. First of all, I have my own exhausting burdens. Then the burdens of my husband and four kids. Then the burdens of my extended family and friends, my church, community, and beyond.

We’re surrounded by burden; there’s no escaping it.

We’re called to be there, to carry each other’s burdens. To show up and be present.

I spent some time getting quiet, sitting with that phrase.

“Bear one another’s burdens.”

Maybe it’s not in the way that I’ve always thought.

Maybe it’s less of me piling all the burdens on myself to carry around as my own, and more of me helping remove the burden from someone else’s shoulders. Maybe it’s more of being a conduit of God’s comfort, creating opportunities for others to offload the weight of their world.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I love these verses. Praise God – He is the Father of all comfort! He comforts us in all our troubles. And He created us to comfort those in our lives in any trouble with that same comfort we’ve received from Him!

Face trouble. Receive God’s comfort. Give His comfort to others in trouble. Repeat.

Maybe the bearing of burdens happens when we sit with one another, we listen in love and lean in to learn. We comfort with God’s love and truth. Together, we lay the burden at the foot of the cross in prayer. And together, we let it go.

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” – Hebrews 4:16

Let us approach His throne – together, confident – so we can receive mercy and find grace in the midst of our troubles.

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” – Romans 12:15

Let’s rejoice with those who are celebrating; let’s mourn with those who are burdened.

People aren’t burdens; they carry burdens. Sometimes they’re self-imposed; sometimes they’re the result of someone else placing that burden on them. Regardless of how they got there, we are called to bear each other’s burdens.

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” – 2 Corinthians 9:8

Burden-bearing is not for the fainthearted. We need God’s comfort and grace… Every. Single. Time. Thankfully He’s more than able, more than willing, to fill our hearts to overflowing. We can freely receive so that we can freely give.

“And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you.” – 1 Thessalonians 3:12