Do What You Can Do

Many of us are fixers.  That’s why we went into the helping professions.  We spend our lives ruminating and worrying about all sorts of situations and people we are unable to change.  We want to fix everyone and everything that is crazy, but we cannot.  We have limits and can only do what we can do.

There is a story In the Gospel of Mark about a woman who, just before Jesus is to be killed, brings perfume to adorn his body.  Jesus’ disciples are critical of her, declaring the money she has wasted on the perfume could have been better spent and given to the poor.  But Jesus is critical of his followers and tells them, “Leave her alone.  She did what she could do.  Wherever the Gospel is preached in all the world it will be spoken in her name.”  Besides the fact that we do not know her name, and one rarely hears the gospel preached in her name, Jesus’ advice rings true.

Leave her alone.  She did what she could do.  She could not stop the killing, but she did what she could do.  This nameless woman can help us all to stay sane.

The problem is when I say “I did what I could do” it can feel like a copout.  We are hard on ourselves.  We are messianic.  We accuse ourselves.  We say things like: "You could have done more.  You are lazy.  You had the wrong tactics or strategy.  You didn't care enough.  You could have tried one more time."  We beat ourselves up because we so badly want to fix who or what is broken.  We may even love the one who is broken but cannot fix that person.  It is sad but true.

So, to you and to me, hear this word of freedom:  It’s time to stop.  Like the woman in Mark’s Gospel, you did what you could do.  You are doing what you can do.  Keep on keeping on but enough is enough. Give yourself a break.  Get a good night’s rest and tomorrow, once again, do what you can do.