When things go wrong, don't go wrong with them.
Biblical text: Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. (Proverbs 4:14 NIV)
Medical missionary Dr. Lambie, formerly of Abyssinia, forded many swift and bridgeless streams in Africa. He learned from the natives the best way to make a hazardous crossing.
The danger in crossing a stream lies in being swept off one's feet and carried downstream to deeper waters or being hurled to death against hidden rocks. A way to avoid this is for a man about to cross a stream to find a large stone, the heavier the better, to lift it to his shoulders, and carry it across the stream as ballast. The extra weight of the stone keeps his feet solid on the bed of the stream.
In telling of this technique, Dr. Lambie drew an application of life: "While crossing the dangerous stream of life... we need the ballast of burden-bearing... to keep us from being swept off our feet."
This does not mean that we should seek out troubles or give in to our problems. Rather, it means that as we look around at others, we are to help shoulder their burdens and in return, to accept their help in bearing our own loads. It's easy to become overwhelmed in carrying only your own burden. Shared burdens, however, "travel lighter."
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