Bear One Another

I'm almost finished rereading the Lord of the Rings (I won't say how many times I've read it) and last night I got to the part where Frodo and Sam are trying to get up Mount Doom and the burden of the ring has become so much for Frodo that he can no longer move, but neither will he permit Sam to carry the ring for him, and then Sam has that great moment where he says he can't carry the ring but he can carry Frodo and the ring together. And when he picks him up, "Sam staggered to his feet; and then to his amazement he felt the burden light. He had feared that he would have barely strength to lift his master alone, and beyond that he had expected to share in the dreadful dragging weight of the accursed Ring. But it was not so." We often hesitate to reach out and help others because we're worried that the weight they carry is going to drag us down too, but that is not so. When we serve others with love and compassion, when we try to help them carry their burdens, and to mourn with them, God gives us more than enough strength for the both of us. When someone we care about feels the anguish of losing a loved one, or suffers the heartache of a failed marriage, or is overwhelmed by the pain of a debilitating illness, these aren't always burdens that we can carry for them, as much as we might want to. But like Sam and Frodo, if we can't carry their burden for them, we can carry them for a while. They might rightly say that we have no idea what they're going through and any words of encouragement or cheer may seem worse than useless. But if we reach out in love and service and help pick up the pieces of their life that they dropped when they became blinded by grief and pain, in other words, if we help carry them while they focus on carrying their impossible burden, then we will find that we have strength enough and to spare and we will not be dragged down by the burden they carry. It's like that story of the two sets of footprints on the beach. The Savior can't always stop us from feeling pain, but He can carry us when the pain becomes overwhelming, and we can follow in His footsteps and help carry those we love when their burdens are too great to bear.