Don’t Shift the Burden, Lighten the Burden - Like the Early Church

In the first reading today, we see how the early Church handled situations when their members were upset and burdened by certain teachings and rules, and their peace of mind was disturbed. They turned to responsible leadership, respect for all members of the community, and not placing any burdens beyond necessities on everyone in the community (G. Darring, “A Better World”). 

When we problem solve, we often shift the burden and respond to the “one” versus the “all.” One person is disturbed? We’ll shift the burden to someone else. One person is unhappy? We’ll accommodate them at the expense of someone else.  One person is disrespected? We’ll include that person and exclude another. One person is not at peace? We’ll cure their anxiety, but put anxiety on someone else. 

In the process of solving for one or a few, we often alienate, burden, and disturb everybody else. We see this in the workplace, politics, community life, and so forth. One person wins and another loses. If that happens, guess what? It’s not an optimal solution! Go back to the drawing board. The goal is not to shift the burden, the goal is to lighten the burden to what is truly needed.

The Church got it right in this instance. They determined what was most necessary and led with consistent, responsible, and respectful leadership. May we take these learnings and use them in our daily lives. May we aim to find solutions to our everyday problems that give all the peace of mind they desire and deserve, and lighten the burdens of all, rather than just shift the burdens to another.