Count your blessings

Are you ever burdened
With a load of care
Does the cross seem heavy
You are called to bear
Count your many blessings
Every doubt will fly
And you will be singing
As the days go by


Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done


I was in church yesterday, and we sang count your blessings. We got to the second verse (which is the one I posted) and I was like...blown away.

Carrying other peoples burdens is something that I've struggled with for a long time.
I have come to the conclusion that its not a good thing. So over the last year or so I've decided that I can't do it anymore. But thats easy to say, but not easy to do. When my friends/family have struggles, my first instinct is to carry it for them, but see...it doesn't really work. All that causes is me being in pain, as well as them. I can't take the pain away from them. I've really been praying about it the last week or so. And then when we sang that in church yesterday like...I sorta had that feeling of just getting punched in the gut. Im realizing that the best way to help people who are hurting is to talk, pray and just be there.

But, where does "compassion" come in? (Sorry about the contradiction, it just came into my head and utterly confused me). Compassion means "to suffer with". doesn't that mean to experience the same pain? I still think that I shouldn't carry the burdens of others, but how do I have compassion without doing that?