Sharing is Caring...Except Pain, Not That!

“The saints would share alike the same things, both blessings and dangers.” ~Wisdom 18:9 

I was chatting with my brother about this passage, when he suddenly stopped and said, “Monica, pain is the result of something being given to us or taken from us”. I, of course, asked him what the heck that was supposed to mean. He went on to explain what he meant, and I am sure it made perfect sense, but I still don’t quite understand. Then again, I almost never understand what he is saying even though he always makes a lot of sense. But I listen to him because I love him, not because I understand him. Luckily, sometimes it pays off and I accidentally absorb something important.  

So, why would I share my blessings and danger? It is one thing to be willing to share our blessings with others, but it is another thing entirely to be willing to take the load off someone else's shoulders. I can put five dollars in the Sunday basket any day, but am I willing to visit an elderly grandmother and listen to a meandering repetitious monologue of a dementia riddled mind tell the same story five times in a row about how she yelled at the mailman because he kept putting her neighbor’s junk mail in her mailbox? Honest answers only. We must challenge ourselves to not only share with others out of the abundance of our own blessings, but also take on other people’s burdens and treat them as our own to carry.