The Weight Another Cannot Bear

In J.R.R. Tolkien's The Return of the King, there comes a moment near the end of the long journey when Frodo Baggins collapses on the slopes of Mount Doom. The Ring has drained him of everything — strength, hope, even the will to take another step. He cannot go on.

That is when his friend Samwise Gamgee kneels beside him and says, "I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you." And Sam — exhausted, starving, far from home — lifts Frodo onto his back and begins to climb.

This is what courage looks like when it is fueled by love. Sam had no sword drawn, no battle cry on his lips. He simply refused to let his friend face the darkness alone. He could not remove the burden, but he could come underneath it.

Scripture tells us to "be strong and courageous" (Joshua 1:9), and we often picture courage as something loud and dramatic. But the courage the Almighty most often asks of us looks like Sam on that mountain — choosing to show up for someone who is struggling, bearing what we can so they can bear what only they can carry.

God does not always remove our burdens. But He promises never to leave us alone beneath them. And He calls us to do the same for one another.