Gifts and burdens are flip sides of the same coin. We have a unique way of using our strength to bring more life and goodness into the world. But this also means we’re burdened to do things others are not. We must learn to humbly accept our personal burdens without expecting others to bear the same.
Of course, there are basic obligations as an adult and being in community with others that we’re all responsible for. And there’s a place to rightly expect and call each other out whenever we’re missing the mark in these areas. But often our zeal goes beyond the basics and into the areas of our gifting – expecting others to see and care for things in the same way we do, which leads to much frustration when they don’t.
For instance, perhaps our gift is strategic planning, networking, or vision casting. And because these things come so natural to us it’s easy to assume everyone should be doing the same thing. We see it as basic functioning and not a gift. But as we recognize them as true gifts this means we can no longer place the same expectation on others. This is our gift, not theirs.
As such, what we name as our gift is also our burden. Our soul stirs to fight for the mistreated, underserved, brokenhearted, or the like because God has called us to these particular individuals and has equipped us to minister to them.
To be sure, there’s no need to complain when others are not doing more and don’t seem to care about the things important to us. They have their own gift and burden, as we have ours. And it is a personal burden because things weigh on our hearts that others might not even be aware of.
In the end, you have a gift for doing certain things well. And this means this is also your burden to do these things when others are not. Accept this with grace and let your strength continue to bless others.
Photo by Jeremy Perkins on Unsplash
