08/23/2026
DON'T DO IT ALONE
A word to pastors, missionaries, ministry leaders, Sunday school teachers, and Christian workers
There is a verse in Exodus 18 that has spoken to me more and more as the years have passed. Jethro watched Moses trying to handle everything himself. He saw the long line of people waiting for Moses from morning until evening. Finally, he said something Moses probably needed to hear:
“This thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.” — Exodus 18:18
I have read that verse many times, but I think there is something here that many of us in ministry struggle to admit.
Sometimes we are not tired because we are doing something wrong. We are tired because we are trying to do too much of something God has called us to do.
There is a difference.
Moses wasn't lazy. He wasn't indifferent. He wasn't running from his calling. He cared.
He cared so much that he was carrying everything.
And that is where many pastors and Christian workers find themselves.
We love the people. We want to help. We don't want anything to fall through the cracks. We feel responsible.
Someone calls, and we answer. Someone hurts, and we try to help. Someone needs prayer, and we pray. Someone needs a ride, and we find a way.
A ministry needs something, and we figure out how to get it done.
Before long, the servant who started out carrying a calling is carrying everything.
And eventually the burden becomes too heavy.
Jethro didn't tell Moses to quit. He didn't tell him to care less. He didn't tell him to stop serving.
He told him to share the load.
That may be one of the hardest lessons for a servant of God to learn.
We sometimes confuse faithfulness with doing everything ourselves.
But there is a difference between being faithful and believing we are indispensable.
We are not indispensable. Jesus is.
I have had to learn this lesson personally. After many years of ministry, there is something humbling about realizing that you cannot do everything you once did, and you were never supposed to do everything anyway.
There are seasons when the Lord allows us to carry great responsibilities. There are other seasons when He teaches us to let someone else carry part of the load.
And sometimes the most spiritual thing you can say is:
“I need some help.”
That isn't weakness.
That is wisdom.
Look at what Jethro told Moses:
“So shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.” — Exodus 18:22
There it is.
“They shall bear the burden with thee.”
That's God's design.
Not one person carrying everything. Not one pastor doing everything. Not one missionary trying to hold an entire ministry together. Not one Christian worker quietly burning out while everyone else assumes everything is fine.
We bear the burden together.
Some people preach. Some teach. Some pray. Some give. Some visit. Some encourage. Some cook. Some repair. Some organize. Some simply show up when something needs to be done.
And some of the most valuable people in any ministry are the ones whose names will never appear on a program.
They just faithfully hold up somebody else's hands.
That's what Aaron and Hur did for Moses.
They didn't need the spotlight. They just saw that Moses was tired and decided to help.
I wonder how many ministries could be strengthened if more of us simply looked around and asked:
“Whose hands can I hold up?”
Maybe your pastor is tired. Maybe a missionary you know is carrying more than anyone realizes. Maybe a Sunday school teacher is struggling to keep going. Maybe there is a Christian worker who has faithfully served for years and is simply exhausted.
Don't wait until they collapse to offer help.
Ask them:
“What can I take off your plate?”
And if you're the one who is tired...
let someone help you.
You don't have to prove your faithfulness by destroying yourself.
You are a servant.
You are not the Savior.
There is already a Savior, and His name is Jesus.
Moses needed Aaron and Hur.
And if Moses needed help, I suspect the rest of us do too.
And this brings me to something very close to my heart.
I serve at Sand Mountain Bible Camp, and one of the things the Lord has continually reminded me is that ministry is never supposed to be a one-man operation.
The camp is a ministry that exists to reach children, teenagers, families, and churches with the Gospel and to give them a place where they can hear God's Word and grow in their walk with Christ.
But a ministry like this doesn't continue because one person works harder.
It continues because God's people decide to bear the burden together.
There are always needs. There are buildings to maintain. Repairs to make. Projects to complete. Places that need attention.
And most importantly, there are young people who need to hear about Jesus.
I can keep trying to carry every piece of it myself.
But that's not God's plan.
We need help.
We need people who will pray. We need people who will give. We need people who will come and work. We need people who will look at what God is doing at the camp and say,
“How can I help carry this?”
Maybe you have skills we need. Maybe you can swing a hammer. Maybe you can paint. Maybe you can repair something. Maybe you can give financially. Maybe you can simply pray faithfully for the ministry.
You may never stand behind a pulpit at the camp. You may never teach a Bible lesson. You may never know the name of the child whose life was changed because of your gift or your labor.
But you can help hold up somebody else's hands.
And sometimes that's exactly what God has called us to do.
So to every pastor and Christian worker reading this:
Don't try to do it alone.
And to every church member:
Don't let your pastor do it alone.
Find somebody whose hands are tired and hold them up.
Find a ministry that is carrying a heavy load and help carry it.
Find a place where God is working and ask,
“What can I do?”
Because the work of God was never designed to rest on the shoulders of one person.
It belongs to all of us.
And ultimately...
it belongs to Him.
“For this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.” — Exodus 18:18
If you're tired, brother or sister in ministry, hear this from someone who understands:
You don't have to quit. You don't have to carry it alone. You just need to let somebody help you.
And if God has blessed you with strength, time, resources, or ability...
maybe somebody else's burden is waiting for you to help carry it.
Let's bear the burden together.
And let's keep pointing people to Jesus.
He is enough.
