When push comes to shove,
you're always the one
who cares too much
You want to help
and go beyond self
Though all your efforts
may go unnoticed,
You push past pride
to bridge the divide
Not wanting anyone to go down,
You try so hard to save them
But without knowing, let yourself drown
-KBT
I would like to explain this poem I wrote, so you can better understand the meaning behind it. Every day, someone is hurting. You can either turn away and go along without giving that person a second glance...or, you can extend your kindness to a person in need. They may not (and probably won't) expect you to, but they will always remember when you do. This post is for the person who often finds themself caring for anybody and everybody, as noble as that is. To the person who feels not just the hurtful words that are meant for them, but those meant for others. This is for the person who silently struggles with their own problems while striving to care for everyone else. It's not easy to care so much for others that you often lose yourself in their struggles, and yours go unnoticed. It's important to realize that a kind and caring attitude are essential to the life of any professing Christian. However, there comes a point when you have to relinquish the control you seek for the world and its problems. You may have heard the saying "drowning in your sorrows," but you can drown yourself in the sorrows of others just as easily.
Kindness is an extension of a pure heart and motives. Someone who is fully committed to helping other people will constantly seek out someone in need, and possibly attach themselves to that person for a certain period of time. A person who cares too much will not relinquish their control (over caring for someone) until they feel like they have done all they possibly can to help them. Unfortunately, it is difficult for a compassionate person to walk away when a friend, or even complete stranger, continues to struggle. If they see a person who can't seem to get up on their own, they will reach down a hand to make sure that person can get back to level ground. Through all of their efforts to be a rock for others, people who are unequivocally kind often face storms of their own. Their personal storms are placed on the back burner. By helping those around them, their own struggles seem less important; the caring person's situation will magnify itself because of their need to place others before themselves.
Is it possible for any one person to "care too much?" In my opinion, there is always room for kindness. However, when the need for helping others outweighs caring for oneself, a person begins to care too much. When you care too much, you forget that you can't fix all the problems around you. You start seeing more broken pieces in the world, and the problems of people close to you, than you could possibly solve. You may experience "burn out" because you're trying to take on too many people to care for, and you can't do it all. Here are some do's and don'ts when it comes to trying to help people:
DO the best you can to reach out and show people they are loved, even if they don't believe it. You DON'T have to be recognized for your efforts. You might not realize it now, but people won't forget a kind word or action in the midst of a trying time. DO stay faithful to the causes you believe are worth fighting for. Believe that everyone is worth saving, and do your best to help them.
DON'T neglect to care for yourself. DO take time to reflect on your own life and things you are dealing with. DON'T let struggles build up to your breaking point. You are no help to others if you leave your own problems unresolved. When you care too much, some people will love you for it. Some people will hate you for it. DO continue spreading kindness, because this world needs a lot more of it. Just remember to be as kind to yourself as you are to other people.
When you find yourself burdened down by the cares of this world, stop trying to take it upon yourself. You can't carry those burdens alone. But there is someone who can help, someone who can lift the burden off your shoulders, and carry it for you. In fact, He wants you to give all your cares to Him-whether it be your own or those of another person. When you find that you can't bear it anymore, you can be found...
Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you (1 Peter 5:7). God can carry the burdens we bear, and He can handle our cares, if we would only be willing to cast them upon Him. The weight does not affect Him like it does us, so we should rely on His strength. Not our own. It is His strength that gives us the ability to extend kindness toward others. Focus on how much Jesus cares for you and love others in the same way.