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depressing stories.
We get to hear of weird occurrences such as ritual murders, there are cases of family feuds, spousal and child abuses, and disasters both natural and manmade.
All these threaten to take away our hope for a better world.

When you see people going about their business you might think all is well. Some of them we even envy them thinking there are better than us. Yet they could be carrying heavy burdens varying in scope and intensity from one person to the other.
Some people feel so overwhelmed that they fail to cope completely and therefore end up taking their own lives. In their minds they would have got to the end of the road and there is no one else to turn to.
People get stuck because their attempts to get help are ignored. We are too busy to listen to even the subtle cries for help.

At times we see people behaving in ways which we consider awkward. We are so quick to judge. We quickly conclude “anopenga” (he/she is mad).
Dear reader, the awkwardness that you see could be the manifestation of a deepset problem.
We need to interact with them to know how burdened they are. I recall some years back meeting a girl of about 16 years at a bus stop. I was surprised by the emotional load that this girl carried in her heart.
A simple conversation that I started opened an avenue for this young girl to pour out her heart to a stranger because she had no one else to turn to. I gathered she had lost her parents and had to stay with her brother’s family.

She chronicled the abuse that she was subjected to by her sister in law. There was not much I could do to help but one thing for sure her burden was halved as the old adage says; burden shared is a problem solved or halved.
When I consider the struggles that people go through my mind takes me to the message in Isaiah 61 that talks about preaching the good news to the poor, binding up the broken-hearted and proclaiming freedom for the prisoners. We need to ask ourselves to what extent we are living according to this calling.

I know some hearts have been hardened because there is so much strife around, which makes people feel swamped.
The suffering just sears the conscience and therefore we turn a blind eye to the situation.
Sharing a problem makes it lighter. I think pouring your heart out releases pressure built up of the emotions that characterise the problem. It could also be psychological just the knowledge that someone else out there knows and probably cares.

I also believe sharing can help you to work through the problem. As you share, issues can become clearer and perceptions changed thus giving new insights into the problem.
I would, however, want to throw a word of caution on sharing problems because there are people who can feast on your misfortunes.
So many times we do not help others because we tell ourselves that we have no money. We postpone doing good to a time when we have money to do so. This might never happen because we might never have enough.

Also there are so many things that we can do that do not require money. All what is needed is your heart and once it is in the right place the time and energy follow suit.
Yes we should spare some time to give an ear or a shoulder to cry on to someone who is ‘cumbered and heavy laden’ and make all the difference.
A word or two of comfort and encouragement could help someone to stand on his/her feet again.

Let me encourage somebody out there and say give your heart and touch a life.
I would like to conclude by the lyrics of the song Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand) by Diana Ross a befitting conclusion this message The song goes . . . Reach out and touch somebody’s hand.

Make this world a better place if you can . . . Take a little time out of your busy day to give encouragement to someone who’s lost the way (Just try).
Or would I be talking to a stone if I asked you to share a problem that’s not your own. We can change this if we start giving. Why don’t you?

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