You can’t help everyone.

You may want to.

You may think you need to.

And your consistent inability to meet every single genuine need around you may disappoint you.

After all, the people around you are hurting, with problems, challenges, and questions to address. But do they all need to be addressed by you? You would love to help but often can’t. And then you beat yourself up over it as if you’ve failed both your friends and Jesus.

But is that the proper perspective?

Here is Watchman Nee’s approach—

“Sometimes we may discover that a particular problem is beyond our ability to help. Do not be so foolish to assume you can cope with every situation and help solve all problems” (Nee, The Release of the Spirit, p. 45).

Wait—did you know it was foolish to think you could help everyone? Why is that?

“We should never think we can handle everyone’s spiritual need and try to monopolize the work. Here is our chance to see the supply from the different members of the Body” (Nee, The Release of the Spirit, p. 45).

Aha! Do you see the problem? You wanted to help. But did you realize your frustration at failing to help may reflect a foolish attempt to monopolize the work of God?

Think of it like this: does a wise contractor try to build a house all by himself? Of course not! Instead, he hires people with different abilities to do different jobs, e.g., framers, plumbers, electricians, and bricklayers.

It is the same—or should be the same—in your local church. Different emergencies need different abilities. If you feel overwhelmed by a need you cannot meet, perhaps someone else in the Body can:

“If you feel a certain brother or sister can handle the emergency, seek him out and honestly say, ‘This is beyond my measure. Perhaps this is within your expertise.’ By working together in the Body, we learn how to act relatedly, and not independently” (Nee, The Release of the Spirit, p. 45).

Should a general contractor be depressed that he can’t build a house all by himself? Of course not. That would be foolish. It is the same with you helping people. You cannot do it all, and God never meant for you to:

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord (1 Cor 12:4-5).

Instead of being foolishly frustrated, get wise to the gifted Christians around you.