Burden Bearers…
The Momentary Thoughts from a Satiated Mind is a sacred space where Spirit speaks before the fruit ever shows. Where whispers of heaven plant themselves in voice notes and morning commutes and friendly WhatsApp messages. Where prayer calls turn into healing sessions! Oh, and the thought, she’s sometimes that unexpected guest—showing up barefoot, bold, and right on time… even if I’m in yesterday’s sweats and not emotionally ready for company 😅
Hey wena, Mtana ka Bernard…“Do not play big in a small town, indlu le iti Mamane!”
Translation? Hey you, daughter of Bernard …“Do not play big in a small town,this house says Mamane!
Those were the fiery pearls my grandmother tossed my way whenever I’d tested the limits of her patience. She had that gift, you know—of saying one thing, and meaning ten things all at once.
And then there was Gogo Mbanga, who on one ordinary visit dropped a word so weighty it still sits on my chest like a holy reminder:“Makoti, uMaRadebe wabona yena ukuthi iskhathi sake sisifikile, wayenza ke ukuthi unkulunkulu alete lomtana ukuthi wena u’gabi wedwa…”
Translation? My grandmother’s prayers were so loud, so urgent, that God had to send a child, a companion—not to her, but for me—so that I wouldn’t walk this earth alone.
Now, why am I stirring these sayings that envelope my grandmother into today’s pot? Because this week, as I sat reflecting, I felt her voice again. I felt her laughter, her reprimands, her wisdom—the way I always do when I ache to hear God a little clearer. And it hit me, especially as I celebrated one of the gifts God packaged for me: Shelton, who just turned a year wiser on September 22nd.
You see, there was a time I was lost. Not the “oops, wrong turn at the taxi rank” kind of lost. I mean soul-lost. Wandering, confused, surviving just enough to breathe into the next day. And then, like a plot twist only heaven could write, my mother casually announced that her brother—whom I didn’t even know existed—was flying in to visit.
From the moment I picked Shelton up at the airport, it felt less like meeting a stranger and more like recognizing a soul I had always known. Looking back, I believe our spirits had already shaken hands somewhere beyond time before our bodies ever did.
Do you know that kind of person? The one who enters your life and—snap!—everything shifts. Your whole story tilts into a new chapter? Shelton was that for me.
Until him, “intercessory prayer” was just a churchy phrase. With him, I learned what it means for someone to literally stand in the gap, storm heaven’s gates at 3:00AM, and cry out your name until God Himself leans over to listen.
Until him, I didn’t understand the depth of my grandmother’s love, or how fiercely heaven can assign people to your corner.
And oh, if I had the time, I would tell you…
of the nights Shelton prayed when I couldn’t whisper a single word,
of the mornings he climbed prayer mountains with my children’s names on his lips,
of the moments I felt lower than a footprint and he came, not to preach, not to judge, but simply to lift.
of the sacrifices he makes to send me back and forth to ministry school without blinking, and
of the days he continues to pray without ceasing for the benefit of our families protection and guidance from God!
But words betray me here. Vocabulary feels small against the vastness of what his presence has meant. All I know is: I am eternally grateful. Grateful to God for letting me walk this earth alongside a brother, a prayer warrior, a burden-bearer, a divine connector.
So, here’s what this week’s musings taught me:
When it comes late, it comes BIG. Shelton is proof.
People in our lives don’t all hold the same roles:
Some drift in and out like seasons.
Some wrap you like a warm blanket when the cold winds blow.
Some are like Simon of Cyrene—helping you shoulder the cross.
Some are like Joseph of Arimathea—claiming your body even when others have left you in the tomb.
Then there are the divine connectors—not the answer themselves, but the bridge that leads you to the One who holds the answer. For me, that bridge is Shelton.
And finally, there are burden bearers. They don’t care about your title or your shine. They care about you. They see your nakedness, cover you, cry with you, and stand beside you. Again—for me, that is Shelton.
And now I turn the mirror to you:
Who in your life has been your divine connector?
Who has stood as your burden bearer?
And perhaps more importantly—who can look at you and say you were that for them?
If you have such people, count yourself blessed. If you are such a person, count yourself even more blessed. And if you long for it, here’s the invitation:
Be the divine connector you’re praying for. Be the burden bearer someone else is aching to find.
Because, child, this world is too small, life is too short, and blessings are too sweet to keep to ourselves.
Never underestimate relationships that just come about…there is no coincidence only divine connections!
Burden bearer, this is the greatest gift God can give to man!
I offer this Prayer of Thanksgiving for Burden Bearers
Heavenly Father,
I come before You today with a heart overflowing with gratitude. Thank You, Lord, for the gift of burden bearers—the ones You have placed in my life to walk with me through valleys and over mountains.
Thank You for those who stood beside me when I had no strength to stand,
for those who prayed when I had no words left to pray,
for those who covered my nakedness with compassion instead of shame.
Lord, I bless You for the ones who carried my cross, if only for a mile,
for the ones who wept when I wept and rejoiced when I rejoiced,
for the ones who reminded me I was not alone, even in the darkest night.
Father, I see Your heart in their actions, I feel Your love in their embrace,
and I know Your Spirit empowered them to be steady when I was weak.
May You bless them abundantly, O God.
May their seeds of kindness reap harvests of joy.
May their sacrifices return to them pressed down, shaken together, and running over.
And Lord, help me, too, to be a burden bearer for others.
Shape my heart to notice, my hands to reach, my words to heal,
so that I may reflect Your love just as they have reflected it to me.
Thank You, Jesus, for sending these precious ones into my story.
They are living proof that You never leave us nor forsake us.
In Your holy and precious name,
I Ask,
I Allow,
I Let It Be So,
And So, It is!
Amen.…
Food for the Soul…
“Blessed are the burden bearers, for in carrying the weight of another’s sorrow they grow wings unseen. They walk bowed, yet heaven crowns their steps with light. For though the load is not their own, their hearts become the altar where compassion is offered and love is made holy.” – Unknown –
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