I Can't Carry It, But I Can Carry You

In the final chapters of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Return of the King, Frodo collapses on the slopes of Mount Doom. The Ring has become unbearable, the journey impossibly long, and his strength is utterly spent. He cannot take another step.

That is when Samwise Gamgee, his faithful companion, refuses to accept defeat. Sam knows he cannot bear the Ring himself, but he can bear the one who carries it. So he lifts Frodo onto his back and climbs.

Sam had no special power. He was a gardener, ordinary in every way. But he would not let the darkness have the final word. He could not remove Frodo's burden, but he could lend his back, his legs, his stubborn love.

The apostle Paul understood this kind of perseverance. He wrote to the Galatians, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9). And just one verse earlier: "Carry each other's burdens."

There will be seasons when you cannot carry your own weight. The grief is too heavy, the diagnosis too dark, the road too steep. In those moments, the Almighty sends you a Sam, someone who shows up and simply refuses to leave.

And sometimes, you are the Sam. You are the one God has placed beside someone who has run out of strength. You do not need superpowers. You just need to keep climbing.