He Ain’t Heavy – He’s My Brother in Christ

You’ve seen it in the movies, a buddy risks his life to retrieve a friend from the front lines who’s been wounded. With bullets threatening every step, he picks up his wounded comrade and carries him to safety.  

Now picture this. A brother in Christ in your church has succumbed to sin and fallen hard. He was a well-respected leader but now he is the subject of much speculation. He and his wife have missed a lot of services. He is lying there on the front lines with gossip “whizzing” all around trying to finish him off.  

You are sitting in safety, well-protected and blessed of the Lord. What do you do? Or a better question would be, “What would the Lord Jesus want you to do?” 

Some may ask, like Cain, “am I my brother’s keeper?” After all, he should have known better, right? Others may think, “if I step in, I might get attacked, too!” Or, my personal favorite, “Let someone else more qualified help him, that’s the job of the Pastor and Elders.” 

But God is telling YOU to help him. In the back of your mind, you remember the fellowship you used to enjoy at your favorite fishing hole, or the time you celebrated when he got his trophy buck. You were his friend in good times and now he needs you more than ever! 

So, you pray and head over to his house. You find him alone with his life in pieces all around him. Your heart is breaking for your friend. You sit in silence a while, then he starts to talk. He opens up because he knows you care. You’re the only one to come over. He can hardly look at you for shame. He is wounded, his family is suffering, there is much work to do, but first, love…unconditional love is what is needed now.  

You embrace for a time, then with the strength of the Lord, you lift him and his burdens onto your “shoulders” to carry him for a while. After all… 

He ain’t heavy…He’s my brother in Christ.