Sharing the Load

Tina had a lot on her plate. In addition to juggling a full-time job and caring for her family, she also had to care for her mother, who was suffering from dementia. Friends offered to help, but Tina was never sure what to ask them to do. Besides, she didn’t want to appear needy. There were a lot of people in the world who had it harder than she did.

Caring for an aging parent or chronically ill child is not for the faint of heart. It’s more than a full-time job, and most caregivers have other responsibilities on top of caring for their loved ones. It’s more than one person can do, and, according to scripture, it’s more than one person should do.

But sometimes caregivers have a hard time letting others care for them. Caregivers can sink into an attitude of martyrdom (“I’d like some help, but no one else seems able to do it right”) or independence (“I can’t ask others for help—they’re busy with their own lives”).

The truth is, God knew that the burdens of this world would often be too much for one person to bear alone. He wants us to share our load with others—because that’s good for both sides! Not only are we blessed when a friend lends a hand, the friend is blessed, too.

Don’t allow another person to miss out on the blessing of helping you.