Are you the type of person that needs to fix everyone and everything? Maybe you see a problem and instantly try to analyze it and fix it. Perhaps you see an injustice done to someone and immediately fly to that person’s side to rectify it. While this may be an admirable trait, it can also be a fault. If you are this type of person, you’ve probably felt the stress caused by the gap between what someone needs and what you can actually do about it. That empty, hopeless feeling can drive you bonkers!
Now, the Bible does command us to be caring people. The Bible tells us to care for both our own and “strangers,” or people we might not normally consider to be in our group. In Galatians 6:2, we are told to “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” God didn’t intend for Christians to live like the lone ranger! He gave us co-laborers with whom we are “striving together for the faith of the gospel.” (Philippians 1:27) God gave us the local church in order that we may “consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.” (Hebrews 10:24) In addition to looking out for each other, God intends for us to care for outsiders as well. Hebrews 13:1-2 says, “Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” So, we know that we are commanded to be caring, both to those within our community and those outside our community. With so much to care about, we can easily slip from be being caring into being careful.
Well, the Bible tells us that we can strike a balance between being caring about problems and people and being careful. In the Bible sense, the word careful means full of care. The word we might use is worry. Worry is when we dwell on a problem that we have little to no control over and allow it to cause anxiety. Worry happens when we fancy ourselves to be in control of something that we are not. This is what the Bible commands us not to do. Philippians 4:6 tells us to “Be careful for nothing.” Even if it is a “good thing,” like worrying over a friend or an injustice in the world, we are commanded not to worry. Be careful for nothing means don’t worry about anything. So, let’s look at what being truly caring but not careful means practically.
First, we see that being caring but not careful means that we are praying about everything. Philippians 4:6 doesn’t just end with telling us what not to do. It goes on to tell us what to do. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” The opposite of being careful or worried is being peaceful. Peace comes from realizing our limitations and depending on God’s limitless capability. This dependence is demonstrated through prayer. God wants us to care enough about our friends to pray for them. You see, God doesn’t just command us to be bearing one another’s burdens, but He also commands us to simultaneously be “casting all your care upon him; for careth for you.” (I Peter 5:7) The verse proceeding this one tells us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. It takes humility to admit that we are not the answer that our friends need or the world needs. Worry happens when we assume that we are the answer to our friends’ needs and the world’s problems. Humility happens when we pray, admitting that God is the answer. We aren’t really caring for others if we aren’t praying for them to the One who can do more for them than we ever could! When we pray about everything, we are demonstrating our care for others and we are showing our dependence on the One who has the capacity to care about everyone and everything at the same time.
Another way that we can be caring without being careful is by empathizing with each other. Empathy means that we not only feel for someone, but we also feel with them. Jesus in our example of empathy, as Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus immersed Himself in the human experience so that none of us could ever say to Him, “You just don’t understand.” Temptation? He’s been there. Rejection? He’s felt it. Exhaustion? He’s had it. Suffering? He’s experienced it. The only difference between Him and us is that He chose to experience it and that He conquered it. He was tempted like we are, yet never failed like we do. His Holy Spirit is dwelling inside us, ready to help us overcome temptation as well. If Jesus Himself can empathize with us, surely we can empathize with each other. Romans 12:15 tells us to “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.” In other words, we should be present with our fellow Christians and share in their Christian walk. We should be there to relate to them, rejoice with them, and even cry with them. I Peter 3:8 says, “Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous.” Ephesians 4:32 tells us to be “tenderhearted,” which indicates the ability to feel with others. We can all relate to each other in some way. While we may not experience the same exact suffering or struggle with the same exact sins, we all share the same basic needs. So, we are called to come alongside, put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, and share with them the things that helped us in a similar position.
Not only can we be praying for and empathizing with others, but we can also be giving to others. As we noted earlier, there are some things that we simply cannot control. We cannot be everywhere in the world at once. We cannot mend a broken heart. Most of us probably can’t donate a million dollars. But we can give what we have. We can give of our time, our talents, and our resources to those in need around us. Romans 12:13 tells us to be “distributing to the necessity of the saints; given to hospitality.” We can give to others through opening our home to them, sharing a meal with them, or providing a place for them to stay. In I Timothy 6, the Bible charges those who are rich by the world’s standards not to trust in their riches, but to enjoy them as gifts from God. The very next verse says, “that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.” (I Timothy 6:18) God gives to us in order to give through us to others. Galatians 6:10 says, “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all me, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” The verse proceeding this one tells us not to be weary in well doing. One of the ways that God seeks to help us continue rather than faint is through the hospitality of fellow believers. We can encourage each other to keep the faith, to stay the course, and finish the race by giving of our time, talents, and resources to others. We can’t do everything, but often we can do something. Rather than worrying about what we have no control over, let’s focus on giving what we can, “as we have opportunity.”
It’s true—in this world, there is much about which to care. Yet we can be peaceful rather than careful when we focus on our part and allow God to do His part. We strike this balance between caring and being careful when we pray about everything, empathize with others, and give what we can. If we have done all this, we can know that God is pleased and others are helped. God will bridge the gap between our care and our limited ability. Yes, we are called to bear one another’s burdens, but our shoulders weren’t built for the weight of the world. Only God is big enough for that. Remember to bear one another’s burdens and then cast them all on the One who cares for us all.