Bearing Burdens on the Journey

This morning in church we saw a clip from the movie The Mission. I have seen this clip umpteen times, but I am always moved deeply and cannot help but shed a few tears. But something new stood out to me this morning as De Niro’s character struggled to carry his clumsy and weighty burden up the mountain. His companions on the journey are connected to him, and therefore are also affected by the symbolic burden of his sin. They are slowed down. They bear his weight and that of his burden when he stumbles. When De Niro slips and nearly falls off the mountain, it is Jeremy Irons’ character who digs his heels in the ground and strains to hold the rope that ties them together. Yet…they all reach the top, and we get to see a powerful illustration of grace.

To see such a picture of community – of a fellow believer helping his brother who struggled with such a burden and even risk his own safety to do so – that is what brought tears to my eyes this morning. I realize that even though I have grown in being with others as they suffer, there is still so much growth for me in this area!!! And as for confessing sin, although I make a concerted effort to reconcile with people directly when I recognize my sin in our relationships, many other sins (i.e. selfishness, lust, etc.) get recorded in my prayer journal but not confessed in any sort of accountability relationship.

I’ll confess that I’m a bit embarrassed to post what I just wrote. One of my faults is that I really like to project a good image, and often the best prescription is just to fight to allow my heart to be an open book. It’s not pretty. But the power of God’s Spirit and Jesus’ gentle hand give me courage and hope. I share all this not to burden anyone else, but to acknowledge that I realize anew that my sin does in fact affect others and I want to thank you all for your grace and for your friendship. Thanks for digging in your heels and helping me on the journey – I will pray for God’s strength that he will help me to do the same for you.