The untimely death of NASCAR star Kyle Busch hit me harder than I expected. I’ve followed NASCAR for years, and although I had other favorite drivers, I was familiar with the Busch family’s racing pursuits, infertility journey, and presence in the sport. I appreciated Kyle’s skill, was entertained by his antics, and enjoyed seeing his growth as a person.
Like many fans, I was shocked by his passing and deeply felt the pain his wife, children, family, friends, and others throughout the industry must be experiencing.
Along with other situations that didn’t directly involve me but still affected me, it got me thinking about capacity, compassion fatigue, and circles of concern and responsibility.
My husband wisely noted that we don’t have the capacity to emotionally absorb all the pain around us. That can feel tricky if you want to be a caring person. With social media and technology, we now hear about far more painful events beyond our immediate circles.
When I look at the life of Jesus, it’s interesting to me that He did not heal every person presented to Him. He served those God put directly in His path and followed God’s direction about when to move along and leave care to others.
It’s easy to feel guilty when we grow weary of bad news. Yet we do become overwhelmed. Even Jesus often withdrew to be by Himself.
I’ve also thought about the idea of bearing one another’s burdens. But I can’t be hands-on help in every painful situation around me. What I can do, when God prompts me, is extend a hand toward a situation in prayer and support.
At church, when praying for someone, a few people may place a hand on them while others simply extend their arms toward them. That has become a meaningful picture to me.
Sometimes we are called to be hands-ON. Sometimes hands-TOWARD — balancing compassion, concern, and capacity while always remaining willing to care.