1 Timothy 5:1 “Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers,”

Growing up, I sometimes envied being a girl as I watched my brothers do all the “cool stuff”. They got all the cool toys. They were able to play all the cool sports. They even wore cooler clothes. I often thought that girls got the short end of the stick having to wear silly dresses and play with silly toys. By the time I was 12 years old, I was convinced that being a boy was a better deal.

One summer, our family was moving and my mom had all hands on deck. I noticed she had the girls carrying lighter boxes and the boys moving heavier items. Frustrated, I demanded that she not hand me the girly boxes and allow me to move the items my brothers were moving. My mom gave me an amused look and gestured to my older brother to hand me the box he was carrying to the truck. As soon as the box left his hands and entered mine, I went down fast. Immediately, this piercing pain rushed through my foot as I struggled to move the box away. My brother quickly came over and moved the box, asking genuinely if I was okay. I wasn’t. My foot was hurt and so was my pride, but my eyes were opened to something far more important. As easy as it looked to be a boy, I didn’t understand or couldn’t always handle the weight that they carried.

This is a lesson that I’m still learning as an adult. I don’t always realize the weight that my brothers (natural and in Christ) have to carry. Sometimes, my controlling nature takes over and I want to pick up the weight of issues that I wasn’t designed to carry and it causes me to fall. Sometimes, all I see is what isn’t being done, or what doesn’t seem fair, or what should be easy. Instead of encouraging my brothers, sometimes I envy them, belittle them, or even try to take on their weight. When the weight becomes too much and I fall, I feel so ashamed when those same brothers are there to help me back up.

As we near the end of Men’s Month at Faith, let’s continue to be mindful of lifting up our brothers in Christ with love. Because women have been holding it down so long, we sometimes think that we can do it all. Maybe you’re in a situation where you always seem down, because you are carrying a weight that doesn’t belong to you. Ladies, let’s learn to let go of that weight and place it back in the hands of who it was designed to belong to. Let’s remember to encourage and love the men in our lives, as we reflect on the weight that they have to carry everyday.

Brothers, heed the call of brotherhood. Be the iron that your brother needs to be sharpened and also be willing to be sharpened. If you’ve put down the weight of responsibilities that God has given, take this opportunity to pick it back up. No more sitting around and watching the women in your life take on a weight that isn’t theirs. The responsibilities placed on men isn’t easy, but together, as a band of brothers, you can carry the weight. What makes this so beautiful is that when you allow God to carry your burdens, He’ll make your yoke easy and your burdens light. Trust Him to restore you to your rightful place in Him. But it will take us all, brotherhood and sisterhood growing, loving and supporting together. That’s a weight that we all can carry… together.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for loving both man and woman equally and unconditionally. Father help me to understand and respect the differences you’ve designed in us, so that I may live out your call for community with love. God give the women courage to let go the weight that isn’t for them, and give the men the strength to pick up the weight you’ve called them to carry. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

By: Min. April Carter