The Least That You Can Do
Just Because Someone Carries It Well – That Doesn’t Mean That It Isn’t Heavy.
I love this statement: “Just because someone carries it well – that doesn’t mean that it isn’t heavy.” In other words, some people just have the grace to carry things well, even though the things that are carrying are often heavy and sometimes burdensome. But, just because they make it look easy- or, they don’t seemed to be burdened or bothered by it, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t actually burdened by it, or that it isn’t a heavy load for them to carry. On the other hand, I also believe that there are some people that can just handle way more, for whatever reason. I also know that there are people who are burdened or bothered by things that they don’t want to burden or bother anyone else with as well. Therefore, we need to pay close attention to those who have obstacles in their life and for those who have various things that are going on in their life that they have to juggle and keep up with. With that being said, be mindful, be supportive and offer help when you can. You can be kind, considerate and offer to help out, or at least lend a listening ear, even if you don’t fully understand the magnitude of what someone may be going through or may be experiencing at the time. Sometimes the least that you can do- is the most that you can do! You may not be able to fully relate or understand entirely someone’s pain or problem, but, you can be kind, and considerate of them in whatever they may be going through.
We all carry burdens and concerns that are specific and unique to only us. We also not only carry burdens that are specific only to us, we also share in similar scenarios of stressors that are both common and similar. Now, with that being said, I believe that we can only truly relate to one another experientially- to a certain extent. That’s because although we may have had or shared certain experiences, we all process, experience, feel things and express things in different ways. Therefore, I believe that we can only truly relate to one another to a certain extent, in the sense of feeling what the other person may be feeling or experiencing. Even if we have been through the same experiences or have had similar feelings- we still can’t have the exact same experience or the same mutual understanding. And, again that’s because we all process, experience, feel and express differently. In other words, if you have a troubled marriage, or a rebellious child or have lost a loved one or a pet. Even though I may have had the sane experience, I still can’t feel exactly what you are feeling, nor can I experience exactly what you may be experiencing. However, with all of that being said, we can still be kind and considerate of one another.
When I was trying to tell a friend who had asked what we were doing now as a family, he couldn’t relate! And, he couldn’t believe it, nor could he understand! And, even if he did relate or he did understand, he couldn’t fully relate to what was taking place and that’s because he has no way of feeling exactly what we are feeling and he has no way of processing the events the exact same way that we do. However, he was concerned and he did sympathize and he was kind. Sometimes the least that you can do- is the most that you can do! When I use to travel and play gospel music we would have breakdowns. This would lead to being up all night and showering in a truck stop and getting a new mode of transportation to get us to the venue for the concert. And of course, we would tell the audience about our misfortune. But, they couldn’t fully relate. And that’s because most of them had never traveled on a bus and broken down. And, even if they had, we still all feel, think and process differently. Just recently we made a trip to the Smokey Mountains and on our route to our destination, there was a bad accident that had shut the interstate down. So, we had to reroute. Immediately I called the hotel in TN to notify them of our late arrival. The lady on the other end of the phone was kind, considerate and sympathetic, but you guessed it! She couldn’t feel exactly what we were feeling or experience exactly what we were experiencing. And, you guessed it! Even if she had experienced the exact same delay, we all feel, process and think differently.
So, some of you may be saying Rob, what are you saying!? What I’m saying is this: Sometimes the least that you can do is the most that you can do! And, sometimes the least that you can do is be kind and considerate of someone, even if you can’t relate or you don’t understand. And, I feel like I have reiterated the fact that even if we have been through the exact same experiences, or have had similar feelings in less than fortunate circumstances- we still can’t have the exact same experience or understand exactly what someone else may be experiencing or feeling. That’s because we all process, experience, feel and express things differently. Therefore, we can never truly feel or experience on the same level that someone else does. However, I do believe that we can be understanding, kind and considerate of one another regardless. Nonetheless, as I was processing these thoughts one day, the Lord reminded me of this scripture found in Romans 12:15: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” This simple verse is the key! You see, that’s the least that you and I can do- we can rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. And, we can also lend a listening ear to those who need to be heard. Now more than ever, it is a time when we can give some grace and be considerate of everyone that we encounter. Regardless of what levels you can relate to someone on, or, how easy it is for you to navigate through the unfortunate scenarios of life that you may experiencing yourself, now more than ever, especially during these uncertain and unprecedented times, we can be considerate of one another in the process of doing life together…
And Here’s a Formula to Follow:
1. Be Kind.
2. Be Considerate.
3. Understand Before You Are Understood.
4. Be a Hand of Hope to the Hurting.
5. Rejoice with Those Who Rejoice.
6. Weep With Those Who Weep.
7. Listen to Those Who Need Someone to Listen to Them.
It’s the Least That You Can Do!
