Strength is for Service, Not Status
Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?” Romans 15:1-2 (MSG)
An exceptional example of bearing the burdens of another is Samwise Gamgee in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Although Frodo gets most of the credit, he never could have completed his journey through Mordor had he not been accompanied by Sam, his loyal and faithful friend.
In truth, Sam is the real hero of the story. He does everything he can to ease his friend’s burden, providing sacrificial service through the harshest conditions. Sam listens, he serves, he encourages, and he confronts by speaking the truth in love.
As the two begin to run out of food, Sam eats less in order to give Frodo more. When he realizes they probably won’t return from the journey, Sam presses on with Frodo, even though he knows it will most likely cost him his own life. When Sam thinks Frodo is dead, he takes the ring intending to finish the journey on Frodo’s behalf. When he discovers Frodo is alive, Sam gives the ring back to Frodo, instead of insisting it belonged to him. In fact, Sam is one of only two people who give the ring up voluntarily (the other one being Frodo’s uncle, Bilbo). When Frodo can’t go on, Sam picks him up and carries him up a mountain. Sam wasn’t concerned about credit, and he never thought twice about sharing Frodo’s burden.
Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer says bearing the burdens of others is how we become like Christ. In fact, Bonhoeffer says this is “precisely what it means to be a Christian.”
By the way, Sam also shows us that a servant is the hero. Why? Because, in the end, Sam gets the girl.
During a difficult time in your life, you may feel more akin to Frodo, who says he wishes the ring had never come to him. He wishes none of this had happened. His friend, Gandalf, says anyone who lives to see such difficult times wishes the same. But they have no choice about facing such times; they only have a choice about what to do with the time they are given. Gandalf says Frodo was meant to take his journey and to carry a burden for others, and he should be encouraged by that.
- Oswald Chambers says we may be uncertain of where God will lead us, but we can always be certain he is leading us.
- What situation have you recently faced where you asked God to take away your circumstances or your suffering? How or for what do you think God wants you to pray in these kinds of circumstances?
- For whom do you think God is asking you to share or carry a burden?
Jon Walker is the author of Breakfast with Bonhoeffer, Costly Grace, and Growing with Purpose. He is managing editor of Rick Warren’s Daily Hope devotionals. This devotional is copyrighted 2013 by Jon Walker. Used by permission.
