Share the burden
God meets us right in the middle of our responsibilities. In the stress. In the strain. And He offers something we desperately need: clarity and wise counsel.
We see this clearly in Exodus 18, when Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, visits him in the wilderness. Moses had been singlehandedly handling every issue that arose among the people of Israel. Day after day, they came to him with their disputes, and he alone stood as their judge, counselor, and leader.
Jethro sees the situation and speaks with wisdom:
“Moses’ father-in-law replied, ‘What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.’” Exodus 18:17-23 (NIV)
Let’s break that down for our lives today:
You are trying to do it all.
That’s not sustainable. And according to Jethro, it’s not good.
1. Stand before God for the people.
This is intercession. You are a representative—whether for your family, your team, your community. Your role is not to carry everyone’s burden alone, but to bring their needs before God.
2. Teach them the way to live and work.
Model what it means to follow God. Teach truth. Walk with integrity. Don’t just carry the weight—lead by example, then wait on the Lord.
3. Select others to help carry the load.
Look for leaders who:
Fear God
Are trustworthy
Reject personal gain
Are willing to serve
Divide responsibility wisely. Moses chose capable leaders and delegated based on capacity. Why? Because he loved the people enough not to hoard control.
4. Know what to release.
Let others handle what they can. Let the shared burden build shared strength and shared faith. Let the community grow because leadership is shared.
The Result?
You endure.
People grow.
Leaders are trained up.
Everyone experiences greater peace.
God didn’t design you to do it all. He designed you to walk in wisdom, share the burden, and trust Him for the increase.
