"Lean on me when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on…" What a great song! I know you're probably singing it in your mind right now, but stay with me. For many, during seasons of suffering, there is a tendency to withdraw from our community and struggle as a hermit. We retreat for several reasons; some include fearing rejection from the community in times of need, or maybe we don't want to feel like a burden. But the reality is that we all are needy people - we need Christ's grace and compassion, and we need the body of believers.
The church is a group of Spirit-filled, Bible-believing, gifted people who are mandated to love one another because we need to constantly receive the love of Christ through our fellow believing family. Galatians 6:2 states that we must "bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." But if we hide our burdens from one another, are we actually living faithfully? Kapic thoughtfully writes, "The only way we become members of the church is by confessing ourselves to be sinners, and once we are members of this body, we do not instantly stop sinning. Instead, we start confessing…[and then] our brothers and sisters reflect the Jesus of the gospel to us" (146). Church, consider leaning more on one another in your needs; you might find that those around you will help you carry on.