2 Corinthians: 3, 4: Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Mercies and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (KJV)

I have always had a passion for rocks. Sleek, smooth rocks. Chunky conglomerate rocks. Small, large, odd-shaped rocks. A favorite pastime when we were little, was to take a hammer and smash open the rock to see what beauty lay inside.

When we moved to the coast 13 years ago, our home was relatively close to the shore. It was a lovely walk downhill through the neighbourhood, then about 30 long steps through a treed trail down to the water. One of the first times I ventured down, I was completely mesmerized by the abundance of beautiful rocks.

I chose one rock, then another, then another, depositing them in my pants pockets to take home to my garden. As I was ascending the steps, my pants seemed to slip with the weight of the rocks, necessitating in my strutting home, hands held firmly on either side of my waistband lest I lose my pants. The rocks couldn’t be unloaded on the trail or in anyone’s yard, so on I trudged. I was glad for my hands to share the load in my pants pockets.

Sometimes it seems as if some people just seem to have “rock after rock” added to their load….that’s why people choose to volunteer….to share the load.

Sometimes, by adding just one thing at a time, then another, we end up having a heavier load than we had anticipated. That’s when we can ask for someone to share our load.

Whether we are the givers or the receivers of sharing the load…..we can always share it with the Lord. When we are sharing someone else’s load, we can ask that He be with us as we assist them. When it is our load which needs to be shared, we can ask that He be with us in our asking for, and in our acceptance of assistance. In so doing…..we all expose “the beauty inside”.

Perhaps if we might choose just one thing for a New Year’s Resolution….it would be that we “share the load”.

Prayer: Lord, let us always feel free to share the load with you…our load, as well as our part in sharing others’ loads. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

(November 30, 1998)

Mary Daniel md61@telus.net