Have you ever had a friend that needed a lot of help? Maybe they were going through a big transition. Maybe life was hitting them on all sides. Maybe they were just kind of dumb. Whatever the reason they started looking to you to be their saving grace, the person who came through in the clutch and helped them move forward in life. At times this can be invigorating, you receive the satisfaction of a job well done and you get to see your friend grow into a better version of themselves.

Other times, however, this can be exhausting. You see someone make the same mistake, the same bad choice, or walk the same path that got them in trouble in the first place. It’s easy to give up on people. It’s easy to say you are not worth the grief you bring to my life. While there are times to create healthy boundaries, there are also times that we are called to step up and do more.

Paul in Romans 15:1-2 puts it this way, “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.”

When you help people, you rarely get any benefit. That should be an okay outcome for you. As Christians we are called to be the servants of all. Just like Christ made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf, we should be able and willing to sacrifice a little time and a little frustration.

And when it all gets to be too much Paul continues in verses 5-6, “5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

When you are weak you should ask for help. When you are strong you should look for people that you can help. Living life on this Earth, we will switch between these two places more times than we can count.

Let’s be there for one another.