About this time of year one of the homes for orphan boys sends out a solicitation for funds and their trade mark is the picture of a boy of about 12 who is carrying on his back his little brother of about four who is sound asleep. The caption under the picture is, ”He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.” There is now a popular song out with this same title. The story behind it is about these two boys arriving at the orphanage asking to be admitted, they have walked a long ways and the little fellow having become exhausted, is being carried by his bigger brother. In spite of the fact that the older boy is bent over with the load of his younger brother on his back, he doesn’t mind because he so loves his little brother that he explains, ”He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.”

Love does this. It lightens loads that would otherwise be unbearable. When we really love someone we are happy to do for them. Paul tells us to ”bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” James calls it a royal law saying that ”if ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well.” It was his love for his little brother that made it possible for the bigger boy to carry him.

When we love our brethren and sisters, we will help them with their burdens and they won’t be heavy because they’re our brethren. When David was thirsty, all he had to do was mention it and three of his mighty men risked their lives to bring him water from the well at Bethlehem. Love motivated this brave action. David did not ask them to do it, he did not expect them to do it and because of his love for them when they did do it, he poured out the water to the Lord and refused to drink it because it symbolized ”the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives.” What love they had for David! What love David had for them! They all would echo the feeling expressed by the young boy, ”He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.”

What do we do for one another, things which would seem difficult, yea; even almost impossible, yet we do them willingly even with joy, because he’s our brother!

When we consider what our elder brother did for us, we echo the words of the hymn, ”When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride. Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small! Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Certainly there was nothing too hard for Jesus to do for us. He died for us. No one could do more for his brethren than Christ did for for us. Now what do we do for him? Certainly he’s not heavy, he’s our elder brother. We don’t consider his requests of us too heavy to bear. ”For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous,” says John. When we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and our neighbor as ourselves, then it is no longer a burden but a joy to carry one another’s burdens. Love makes it easy.

Somewhere there is a sister too sick to clean her house and there’s another sister who so loves that sick sister that she’s over there cleaning it. Somewhere there is a brother who is cold and hungry and there’s another brother on his way to see him with warm clothes and groceries. Right now there are many in need of help and many on their way to help, all motivated by love.

We are coming to the time of the year when even the world shows a little love for others but they are novices compared to Christ’s true brethren and sisters for they have been doing it all year long. His brethren love to do it because they know that inasmuch as they do it unto one of the least of Christ’s brethren, they have done it for Jesus and he’s not heavy, he’s our elder brother.