I read story today that started me to thinking about bearing the burdens of others. I came across the story after briefly hearing about the pain a friend of mine is suffering.

The story is about young father of five, who was struggling to not only support his own family, but the family of his father as well. The young man found work as a security guard to keep protesters away as the government bulldozed slums in Mumbai, India. The job made him heartsick, but he had to work. He worked at the job until the day came when his own home was to be bulldozed. That was when he realized that instead of the government using its money to get rid of the blight, it could instead use the funds to improve the homes. This would, he knew, accomplish the purpose of making the city look better. It would also prevent hundreds of people from becoming homeless.

Although his story was remarkable, it wasn't his story that caught my attention. I wondered why he was also taking care of his father's children. Then, there it was. A simple sentence. His father was an "untouchable," whose job it was in the village to whip himself when bad luck fell upon the people who lived there. An untouchable is someone who is seen as "unclean" and is therefore polluting the community. The untouchables have no rights, and just speaking to one can lead to punishments as severe as death. This is why the young man cared for his father's family. His father could not.

But his father's job was to whip himself when bad luck fell upon his neighbors. Those same neighbors who wouldn't speak or interact with him. The same people who ignored him, no matter what his state of being was. In other words, if he was starving, they ignored him. If he was cold or injured or sick, they didn't care. But he was still expected to punish himself on their behalf.

I thought, what an accurate picture of what Jesus did for mankind. He came to this earth, sort of like an untouchable, and was rejected by his own. He allowed himself to be beaten for the "bad luck" that had fallen upon us – sin and the death it brings. He paid the ultimate price for our state of being.

I wondered, how many of us would go to such an extreme for those who are suffering around us? How many of us would feel another's pain to such a degree that we would be willing to beat ourselves on their behalf? Would we be so willing to step into their shoes and feel their pain? Would we take on that pain as if it were our own?

No one is immune from troubles in this life. Scripture provides us with comfort and support as we bear these burdens. We're taught in the Bible that we must believe God will deliver us from our trials and tribulations. Jesus said, "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

But we are also admonished to take on the burdens of others as well. Galatians 6:2 reads: "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

Are we to beat ourselves due to the suffering of others? No. But we are to come alongside our fellow man and lift them up in their suffering. Why is this important?

The best example I can think of is found in Exodus 17. God's army was fighting, and as long as Moses kept his arms up, the outcome was positive. But when his arms came down, the battle was unsuccessful.

Moses was only human. He could only hold his arms up for so long. So Aaron and Hur came alongside him and held his arms up for him. That simple act of friendship not only made things better for Moses, but for all of God's people. Everybody wins.

Beating yourself isn't necessary. But coming alongside others and holding them up as they struggle is.

And everybody wins.

My niece, Amanda, started kindergarten today. According to her daddy, she strutted into her classroom like she owned the place. Mommy and Daddy, however, tearfully watched their baby take her first steps toward independence.

It was, her Daddy said, a tough day.

But this will be an exciting year for Amanda. Everything she needs to know in this life, she will learn this year. There's a famous poem that says so. With kind regards to Robert Fulghum, who wrote that poem, I am revising it a bit, just for you, Amanda. But I will start it the way Mr. Fulghum did:

Most of what I really need
To know about how to live
And what to do and how to be
I learned in kindergarten.
Wisdom was not at the top
Of the graduate school mountain,
But there in the sandpile at Sunday school.

These are the things I learned:

Share everything. I don't think you'll have any problems with this. One of my favorite things you've said as a little girl, so far, is when you said, "I'm happy to share with you." And you meant it. I know you always will. Share your smile, your sweet spirit, your laughter, and your wicked sense of humor. And oh yeah…share your sense of accessorizing. The world can never have enough bling.

Play fair. You already know how important this one is, because you have already developed into the family's accountability police officer. You make sure we all remember exactly what we said, how we said it, when we said it and why we said it. And you make sure that we follow up and keep our promises. You learned that from your Daddy.

Don't hit people. This is an important lesson for us all. No one likes to be hit. And no one likes to be the one doing the hitting either. Hitting other people doesn't make us feel any better or make the hurt or anger go away – it just makes us feel worse that we caused someone else pain.

Put things back where you found them. Memo always said if you put it back where you found it, you'll always know where it is. This applies to more than just your socks and shoes…it applies to your heart, too. If you keep your heart close to Jesus, your family and your home, you'll always know where it is.

Clean up your own mess. You can't expect other people to do this for you, even when you don't feel like doing it yourself. When you clean up your messes, you have a greater appreciation for the circumstances that led to it. You learn and grow by rolling up your sleeves and getting a little dirty.

Don't take things that aren't yours. You should never just take from others. Don't take their toys or their cookies. But you shouldn't take their words either…when people say mean or unkind things, you just let those things go. It's when you "take" them that those words can become hurtful.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. This is probably one of the hardest things anyone ever has to do, because it means swallowing your pride. It's hard to apologize when you're in mid-swallow. But it can be done. And often. The most important part of saying you're sorry is the part where you truly mean it. Don't say it unless you mean it. People can tell the difference.

Wash your hands before you eat. Your Mommy already taught you about this one. Remember to do it at the end of the day, too Wash the bad stuff from the day away. Don't let it stick to your hands and get all over everything.

Flush. Well, everybody knows you should flush when you're done. But when you're done saying you're sorry, be sure to flush, too. Don't hold onto a grudge. Once you've apologized, let it go. Holding a grudge doesn't ever hurt the person you're holding it against; it only hurts you.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Well, that goes without saying. But they're a treat. And treating yourself now and then is a good thing. But don't treat yourself too much, or you'll be so full of yourself, you won't have room for anything or anyone else.

Live a balanced life. Make sure you take time out for the things that matter, big and small. Take time to appreciate the way Dixie wags her tail, and the way your Daddy's face lights up when he laughs. Or the way your Mommy can't watch a sad movie without getting teary-eyed. Those are "small" things. Sometimes the big things will be so big that it gets harder to see the small things. But don't forget…they're all important.

Learn some and think some. Never stop learning. Oh, I know by the time you're a teenager you'll think you already know all there is to know. But that's not true. You should spend your whole life learning. There's just so much to learn, that it takes a lifetime to discover it all. Take the time to go outside, lay on the grass, and look up at the clouds every now and then…it's the best place to just think things through. Never be afraid to be alone with your thoughts. Remember: sometimes the voice in your head is the one who knows best.

Draw and paint and sing and dance. Always stay in touch with the part of you that wants to be artistic and just cut loose, whether it's painting a picture or singing a song or dancing a little jig. And remember to do these things like no one is watching…that's when it's best.

Play and work every day some. You're going to have to work all your life. You'll have to work in school, then at a job, then to take care of yourself and your family. With all that work, you have to play some, too. Do both, and do them with all your heart, but don't do them at the same time.

Take a nap every afternoon. You may not always get to take long naps, but when you can, enjoy them. There's nothing wrong with getting a little shut-eye. But if you can't take a long nap, take a few minutes to just close your eyes and take a deep breath. This helps anytime.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together. It's important to always look both ways before you cross the street, and hold an adult's hand. When you grow up, and get out on your own, this is very important too. Always check out all your options, and stay close to people you know you can trust.

Be aware of wonder. Never lose the ability to look at what and who God has created with your eyes and your heart wide open. If you do this, you'll live in a constant state of awe at who He is and who He's making you to be.

And that's the best lesson of all.

Today I was thinking about balloon creatures. You know, the crazy creatures a clown makes. Sometimes you can get them made into hats at carnivals and county fairs.

You can get a balloon made into just about anything. I've gotten balloon dogs, balloon flowers, balloon hats…and I was watching a movie the other day where a guy made a bicycle out of balloons. Pretty impressive.

Then I started thinking about those poor balloons. Sure, I know they don't have feelings. They don't feel it when they are twisted and contorted into any number of odd creations. They don't care that' they're being manipulated and bent to someone's will. But I still felt sorry for them.

Then I started thinking, what if I was like that? What if I were being twisted into some odd creation by some random dude, who was only doing it for his own enjoyment or to entertain others? Don't think I'd like it very much.

But isn't that what satan tries his best to do? He tries so hard to bend us and twist us into something else, for his own enjoyment and entertainment. He certainly doesn't do it because he has our best interests at heart. He twists, bends and ties us off into something unrecognizable…if we let him.

The good news is that we don't have to let him. We aren't without power. We aren't without say-so. When satan starts that mess, we only have to utter one word: Jesus. That's all it takes to make that clown run, screaming for his mommy. The name of Jesus makes him weak and causes him to shake where he stands.

The bad news is that sometimes we forget this. We forget that we have power through Jesus Christ. We forget that all we have to do is call on His name and all of hell shakes. All we have to do is say to the mountain, "Move!" and it does.

How can we forget that? What makes us forget? Perhaps it's just the busy-ness of life. We get caught up in the day-to-day, and the thought gets pushed aside. How sad for us.

There are those people who don't understand faith and obedience who would say that as Christians, we are being bent, shaped and tied according to God's will, much like a balloon animal. The argument is that we are mindless minions who get no say-so in what happens to them; we merely "do God's will."

But here's what they miss: obedience is not about getting molded into whatever someone else wants. God intended that our walk of faith be an adventure, motivated by our love for Christ and our desire to please Him. Obedience is about discovering God, not about avoiding consequences. God intended obedience to be a journey taken one step at a time. For each step we take in obedience, we are blessed by God. We can then take another step. And more blessings follow.

Sometimes, we think we need to back off from obedience because it seems safe to do so; but in so doing we deprive God of the opportunity to demonstrate His awesome power in and through us. We must remember James 2:17, which reminds us that faith without works is dead. In other words, we cannot have unshakeable faith without obeying.

Here's the thing: obedience does not lead to being tied up in knots. It leads to steadfast faith. Think Noah…Paul…Abraham…Daniel in the lion's den. All of these men obeyed and it led to steadfast and unshakeable faith.

No balloon critters needed.