When You Can’t Do Everything
(But You Can Do Something)

You don’t have to do it all—you only have to do the part God placed in your hands.

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
— 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NIV)

Sometimes showing up means rolling up your sleeves. It involves clearing debris. It includes searching, retrieving, and rescuing. But love doesn't always call us to the center. Sometimes it positions us on the outside, in a place that doesn't feel heroic, but is no less necessary.

Years ago, I had gone to Egypt for a short Christmas holiday when a civil war erupted in Kenya, the country I had called home for seven years. I watched from a distance as people I loved faced food shortages, violence, and fear.

I wanted to be there, shoulder to shoulder. I wanted to show up in person and help. But I couldn't. The borders were closed. The airports were shut down. I had my children with me. We were safe. But I was far from the community I had developed and served so closely over the previous seven years.

At first, the guilt was overwhelming. But slowly, I realized something. From a safe distance, I had access to tools (as well as the mental and emotional bandwidth I wouldn't have had inside the crisis) to actually help.

I could call, coordinate, and send support supplies. I could connect people who had resources with people who had access to deliver the resources. I could organize relief from the outside in.

For two months, the orphanages and those impacted by HIV or poverty, whom I had helped while living there, received regular food deliveries. They received the items they needed, brought straight to them, so they didn't have to leave the safety of their homes. It wasn't what I imagined "help" would look like. I felt very far away from those in need. But it still mattered.

When crisis comes—whether through war, wildfire, floods, tornadoes, or violence—the need can feel endless, or even distant. It's easy to believe that if we're not rescuing or rebuilding, our role doesn't count. The images on the news, the lists of what's missing (or who's missing!), the heroic stories of first responders—it can all stir up guilt for not doing more.

But guilt is not your guide. God is. And sometimes He positions you in the best possible place to truly help how you can.

You might not be the one on the front lines, but you might be the one holding things together at home. You might not be able to give thousands, but your smaller gift might be part of the exact miracle someone else is praying for. You might not be able to go, but you can still respond. And response, in any faithful form, is holy.

Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians that "we are one body with many parts" and that "each part matters" (1 Corinthians 12:12, ESV). Each part serves in different ways.

Some carry debris. Others carry casseroles. Some are visible. Others are behind the scenes.

Don't dismiss your part if it feels small. Don't compare your service to someone else's. Your part, when given in love, becomes part of the bigger whole. As Paul continues, "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, 'I don't need you!'" (1 Corinthians 12:21, NIV). Yet all are essential.

If what you can do is pray—pray. If you can give—give. If you can write, encourage, organize, watch someone's children, or deliver one hot meal—do that. When you can't do everything, you can still do something. And your something, joined with everyone else's something, becomes true help.

In fact, that's how healing happens—through many hands, many prayers, many hearts doing what they can. Whatever it is you are called to do, do it with love. Whether big or small, it is enough when done in a heart of love.

You don't have to do it all—you only have to do the part God placed in your hands. And once you know your part, you can keep showing up without comparison. We'll look at this in the next devotional entry, but first, let's close with a short prayer.

Breath Prayer:

Lord, help me offer my part fully with love, and without comparison or guilt.

Scripture-Based Prayer:

Lord, thank You that we are many parts in one body, and each part matters (1 Corinthians 12:27). When I see so much need, help me not to shut down or shrink back. Show me what I can offer, even if it feels small.

Quiet the voice of guilt that tells me it’s not enough. Remind me that You multiply loaves and fishes. You honor mustard seeds. You use ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

Whether I’m at the center or on the sidelines, keep my heart open and my hands willing. I trust that what I give, You will use. In Jesus’ Name, I pray.