Burdens are something that most of us have either carried in the past, or something we are carrying in the present. We are all familiar with the concept of ‘carrying a burden’. While some burdens are legitimate, many are not. Illegitimate burdens stem from human attempts to manipulate or control people or situations. Illegitimate burdens are also rooted in our attempts to keep law based religious teachings, as well as our fleshly desire to strive and accomplish a great name for ourselves. Legitimate burdens, however, are quite different as they stem directly from the Lord sharing His heart with us about a specific person, cause, or situation.
With all the confusion that exists today surrounding ‘missional’ and caused oriented living, I have been ‘burdened’ to share my heart regarding the characteristics and nature of legitimate burdens & causes. I have discovered these characteristics over time as I have lived most of my Christian life carrying illegitimate burdens, yet also carrying a few legitimate ones along the way. The contrast between the legitimate and illegitimate burdens have taught me much.
From time to time, people will approach me and ask whether or not I think a specific endeavor (relating to a specific burden) is legitimate. While it would be easy to simply make a list detailing what I think are legitimate or illegitimate burdens, that itself would be illegitimate:) With that said, however, I would like to talk about what I have found to be three characteristics of legitimate burdens.
1. Legitimate Burdens Are Involuntary
Of all the people whom I have known or studied who have carried legitimate burdens, none have chosen their specific area of burden. As a matter of fact, in moments of weakness, many have expressed that they wish they did not carry their burden. Legitimate burdens originate in the heart of God, not mankind. Like anything that comes from Spirit, our flesh stands opposed. Carrying a legitimate burden from the Lord comes at a high cost. Because carrying this burden goes against the natural desires of the flesh, the flesh has to be reckoned as dead to truly embrace the burden. Of course the flesh is bent on self preservation and self glorification, and as a result, our own flesh suffers great loss because of the burden.
For example, I experienced this personally a couple of years ago. Due to a set of extraordinary circumstances, I found myself in the position of being an advocate for a friend who was in the midst of a very heated legal battle. The case was quite serious and became a national news story. Instantly, I was thrown into the mix of doing local & national news interviews and dealing with high powered political attorneys.
I did not ask, nor seek out, this situation. I had never acted as an advocate for anyone before, nor had I experienced such incredible pressure and intensity. I wanted to run from the situation on several occasions. To be completely honest, I even wanted to die as I asked the Lord to take the burden from me several times. It simply seemed too much to bear. Nevertheless, this difficult season lasted almost one year.
The Lord powerfully used this situation of being an advocate for my friend to show me how insufficient my own flesh was and how often I naturally turned to my own flesh to respond to situations. He also used this season to reveal to me my need to draw from the ‘wellspring’ of Christ’s life for the strength to carry this burden that He gave me. It was His strength and life that sustained me during this season that involved much loss and personal attack.
2. Legitimate Burdens Are Connected To & Reveal God’s Eternal Purpose
Again, I cannot stress the importance of this point, especially in light of the ‘missional’ subculture that exists today within evangelical Christendom. The Father only has ONE mission…the revelation and expression of His Son! All His ‘eggs’, so to speak, have been put into the ‘basket’ of His Son. All other legitimate causes and burdens will be deeply connected to the Lord’s eternal purpose of revealing and expressing the Son of God. As you may know, this Son is now expressed by and through the church. Because of all the confusion regarding what the ‘church’ is, we should define what the New Testament church of Jesus Christ actually is:
The New Testament church was a group of people who were discovering how to live by Christ’s life together. -Frank Viola-
(Hint: the words ‘people’, ‘Christ’s life’, & ‘together’ are really important)
As I have mentioned before, I am convinced that most situations which occur in the natural world are simply a picture of a greater spiritual reality. For example, the human trafficking epidemic and exploitation of women that occurs globally is merely a shadow of a greater spiritual epidemic. ( I have written about this very topic here ) Most who have adopted a ‘social justice’ cause / burden seem to be completely unaware of this all important reality.
Without getting into too much detail in regards to the legal case of the young lady I was an advocate for, I realized later that this specific case was simply a physical example of the wider spiritual struggle involving the bride of Christ!
The young lady involved in this legal battle had been rescued out of repressive religion, and into faith in Jesus Christ. Because of her family situation, this decision for Christ put her life in physical danger. Although she had come to faith in Christ, in many ways, she was actually being held captive by the institutional religious system that was trying to ‘help’ her. Because of the national exposure of the case, there were those with political agendas who were trying to exploit & control her during this critical period in her life as well.
Although I did not see this at the time, the Lord has since used the ordeal with my friend to open my eyes to the greater tragedy that has befallen the precious bride of Christ. Although the bride of Christ has been rescued from the fall, much of the church is still trapped inside the prision of institutional religion & is being used, exploited, and corrupted by mankind’s political & economic systems as well.
3. Legitimate Burdens Lead Us Into, Not Away From, Christ’s life & Romance.
When the Lord gives us His heart about someone or something, it is simply too heavy for us to carry in our natural flesh. I have found that many times the Lord will even cause these burdens to ‘ebb’ and ‘flow’, so to speak, so that we are not crushed by the continual intensity of the Lord’s heart. Although legitimate burdens naturally flow from Christ’s life, these burdens were never meant to become our life and focus. There simply is no substitute for beholding and living by the life of Jesus Christ among a group of believers. The key to romance is continual discovery, and there is much discovery of Christ available to us through our brothers and sisters whom we are living in community with.
Again, legitimate burdens flow from Christ’s life, but the moment they become our focus, or the moment they become the ‘mission’, it becomes illegitimate and unhealthy. The discovery & expression of Christ’s life is the only legitimate ‘mission’ that exists. Because this is not reality for most evangelicals, a huge void is present. Many evangelicals know that something quite profound is missing and, as a result, they are desperately trying to fill that void with a plethora of important causes and good religious activities that are mostly done in the name of ‘obedience’, or ‘making disciples’. In time, this kind of living leads us toward emotional & physical burnout.
In conclusion, I’d like to leave you with a few questions that may be helpful for you in regards to evaluating whether or not the burden you are carrying is legitimate or illegitimate.
1. If your burden was taken from you today, would your identity in Christ be affected? Do people relate to you, or do they relate and know you mostly by the function and role that you perform?
2. Does this burden negatively affect your reputation among those in the world’s system (including the world’s religious system) ? Does your flesh suffer loss or gain as a result of this burden?
3. Does this burden increase or decrease as you behold Christ in your spirit and in the body of believers you are living in community with?
4. Does this burden take you away from resting in Christ and living in community with others in the body of Christ, or does this burden come FROM resting in Christ and dwelling in community with other believers?
5. Does this burden leave you continually drained and physically exhausted? Is your physical health improving or decreasing? Do you suffer from chronic pain and a weakening immune system?
6. Does this burden point to a greater spiritual reality that you can see? Is this greater spiritual reality connected to God’s eternal purpose of discovering and expressing the Son of God?
For further reading about this, consider this article as well: Missional Confusion & The Amway Gospel…An Assessment Of A Movement
Jamal Jivanjee
Thank-you Jamal – this is excellent – I’ve carried many, many burdens over the years some so heavy that I thought I might die from the mere pressure… your words help me see more clearly now which ones were illegitimate and which ones actually were and still are legitimate burdens – thanks for sharing His Wisdom!!
My pleasure sister:) Thx for reading.
Jamal, this is from Christ, it has its focus upon Christ, and His eternal purpose, and helps each of us to better understand a daily lives in Christ.
Many thanks to you my brother!
It is true to have legitimate burden, many times for many years i have had burden that are not legitimate and left me worn dawn in the spirit,ministry and carrying them in the flesh, i am learning revelational way in this bloc, but i am real grateful to God as He uses you to help me only bear God’s birthed burden in my heart and as a matter of fact he will be the one carrying them within me God bless you Jamal, my family and LCM church FAMILY FROM KENYA send regards and continue to pray for you and ministry from Kitale Kenya, needs your prayers too in our hunger state that God may intervene and provides something for our famity.
Excellent post Jamal! The Christian life takes its nature from the Lord Jesus, who is the Christian life Himself. He said : “ Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The Lord Jesus abided in the Father, abided in His love, and His Father’s burdens became His burdens and He carried them in His spirit, but He was able to labor unto rest and satisfaction, because being lowly in heart, He could do nothing of Himself. He lived in total dependence of the Father, by absolute trust in Him, knowing that “ The works that I do are not my own, by my Father’s works”. Because these burdens were not His, but His Father’s, and because laboring through them was the Father’s doing , He could rest and say : “they are easy, they are light”.
Learn form Me, are His words to us. When we shift from Him into ourselves, whether being burdens that originate with us, or even burdens that originate with Him, but we’re trying to labor in our own wisdom and strength , they will always be very heavy indeed, and we lose our joy in the Lord. And His call to us is always “ Come to Me”.
Very well stated Marsela! “And His call to us is always “ Come to Me”.
Wow, what a beautiful response! I am finding that each and every response to every problem we may face is the same. It is exactly what you stated…Christ implores us: “Come to Me”.
Thx again for the reminder:)
As Paul said to the Corinthians: But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 2 Cor. 11:3 (NASB)
There are so many “things”, legitimate and illegitimate, that can distact us from, as was shared already, “Taking His yoke upon you and learning from Him.” For “For His yoke is easy (pure) and His burden is light (simple).”
It is easy because He is the one who will do all the real work. It is light because He carrys it. Jesus can accomplish it through each of us, as He lives His life in us. As I read once, “He gave His life for us, to give His life to us, in order to live His life through us.”
We each can, therefore, keep pressing on => => =>
Frank,
The passage of scripture that you shared (2 Cor. 11:3) sums up this entire article. Thx very much for sharing this insightful passage.
Good wisdom in this post Jamal. May the Lord give us the wisdom to recognize and retain His assignments, as we cast off the ones that we’ve put on ourselves or taken from others.
Nee pointed out that the priests were to wear linen, that they would not sweat. This speaks of our activity in the Kingdom.
Jesus has used you, Jamal, to confirm drastic changes in my life. I would love to speak with you personally about this if you have time. I have never met you or spoken with you personally, but The Spirit of the Lord that is upon you has encouraged me and deepend my walk with our Father.
Your brother in Christ
Josh,
That’s very humbling. I’m very encouraged to hear that. I’d also love to speak with you sometime. I’ll send you a private email to set up a time to connect.
Sounds Great Jamal. I’m looking forward to it. Talk to you soon.
Jamal,
Thank you for this post, and for posting it on my FB wall, as I sent you a message on this topic a week or so before you posted this.
As I think through this, I have to jettison much of what I have been taught growing up. I suppose I will always be doing this as a pursue Christ.
I grew up hearing and still hear that you have to “find your purpose in life.” I’m beginning to suspect that this is thinking from the world’s perspective. In other words: “I find significance by my purpose.” Those outside the church are clearly looking for purpose, be it through wealth, sex, power, etc. Even in evangelical circles, we seem to have adopted this “purpose” approach and “christened” it with more pious, holy purposes (i.e evangelism, discipleship, social justice, etc.).
So do you believe that finding a purpose is misguided, or that we are looking for our purpose in the wrong things? This is something I REALLY struggle with. I am a planner by profession, and always like to be making progress towards some goal. If we do not have a purpose, or if our purpose is vague, what are we working towards? In other words, what are we to do with our lives? How are we to live them?
I’m not sure if any of that makes sense or not. I ask this humbly seeking your opinion, not in an argumentative tone.
Grace and Peace to you brother
I cannot say how much I truly enjoyed this. It is funny how I thought I had so many burdens before, but when my 19-year-old daughter died 2 years ago, I realized what a burden was and how the day-to-day worries were so trivial. I still have a hard time listening to other people’s “burdens” without seeing how special it is to be in my shoes as I am not smothered by so many little things. My first reaction when I first heard about her death was I yelled and screamed at God. I hated him for a moment. Even cussed at him and asked him why me…. Then as his peace that surpasses all understanding engulfed me in spurts between moments of grief I understood how powerful God was. I have since come to realize he has handed me a gift. One I would give back if I could, but since I cannot have my daughter back, I have cherished this gift rather than despised it. I may never understand what his purpose for all this in my life is, but one thing I am sure of is he is transforming me into someone else. Where I was so tied to this world I have been untied. Where I used to see a ray of sunlight through clouds and think it was beautiful, I see it as infinitely more amazing. I cannot believe how much closer to God her death has brought me, or should I say how much closer to Him He has brought me. It is a legitimate burden for sure, one that I will carry for as long as I breathe. No choice to rid myself of it. So, if I have to carry it, I do it knowing God will continue to teach me and mold me and help me shed my old self and transform me into exactly what he wants me to be. For that I am incredibly grateful that he chose me. I used to think “why me, why MY daughter?” with sadness. Now as I look excitedly to what He holds for me in my future, I wonder in amazement, WHY me? WHY my daughter?. We were chosen for some greater purpose that I have yet to be privy to. It will be fantastic when He reveals that purpose. In the meantime, when I feel my soul slipping into despair, I am always reassured that his peace will find me. I hope I am making sense. It is very difficult to articulate. The hardest part of this burden aside from the loss of my child itself, is the loss of my old self and finding who he wants me to be. Sometimes I miss me and want to go back into my ignorance and just live as I did, because it is scary when I stop leaning on God and see I am a stranger to myself. I must keep my eyes focused on God and realize I am starting over as a child, my mind stripped of anything I have ever thought I knew before, and am starting over with wide eyes in a big world just waiting to grow up and be what I am meant to be. It really can be exciting in spite of the pain of such a burden. It is bittersweet. One perhaps bad thing is I am having a hard time finding a church family because I even find myself getting annoyed by the way churches function. I am afraid I may say things that perhaps I should not say. Even the problems amongst the church people and the reactions to them make me feel separate because it all seems so silly to me now. So, for some reason God is isolating me. Definitely a big change considering I am an extreme extrovert. I miss people, I miss having friends, but it feels so superficial to me now and I don’t feel like I fit in anymore. It is all so remarkably strange indeed but exciting at the same time. Again, thank you for this article. It makes so much sense to me.
In the almost 20 years I have been involved in carrying the love of Christ everywhere I would rather not, Matthew 11:28-20 has been my litmus test “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
I naturally avoid out-of-control situations where I am completely incapable! 1. I hate flying. 2. I like English. 3. I am not a nurse. 4. I don’t like body odor or the smell of urine and decubitus ulcers. 5. if there’s giardia within a 2 kilometer radius, it will find me.
So, of course I am periodically thrust into majority world hospitals and rehab centers, holding hands with the bedridden and broken, where my only resource is to continually ask Him “Why am I here?”
And He says “My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” And I pray my smile sheds the light of Christ in me, the hope of glory.