A song performed 30 years ago by 10,000 Maniacs — written by the lead vocalist for her father — reminds us of what our Father tries to tell us every day.

The song is titled Trouble Me.  I am sure that this song stirs many because of the deep truth within it.  The Holy Spirit tries to communicate to us in a myriad of ways that include music, poetry, nature, events, art, etc. When we listen to the voices of others, we also hear the voice of the Divine. Natalie Merchant wrote the song for her father; our Father sings it to us through the Holy Spirit.

St. Paul wrote to the early believers in Galatia, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

“Trouble me, disturb me with all your cares and your worries.
Trouble me on the days when you feel spent.
Why let your shoulders bend underneath this burden when my back is sturdy and strong?”

Natalie’s lyrics offer us a way that we can bear others’ burdens – by listening. By being strong when others cannot be. By being present.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30)

It is not easy to ask for help, nor is it easy to offer genuine, wounded-healer help.  We are all wounded, and to reach into that space of our own experiences to help others is not an easy task. Henri J. M. Nouwen’s book, The Wounded Healer, speaks to the power, potential and cautions of our ability to heal one another though we are wounded ourselves.  Everyone is, and everyone is called to help ease the burdens of others.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”  (1 Peter 5:6-7)

It can take a healthy dose of humility to ask for help, especially if there is a perceived hierarchy of strength, like parent to child, even if the child is an adult.  As conveyed in Natalie’s lyrics, it takes courage to offer help.  It also requires humility to ask for, and to receive, the help of others, no matter what form that assistance comes in.

With God, however, we should be able to come forward confidently, knowing we are loved, and therefore able to share courageously what troubles us.  We should be able to.  Yet, we can’t seem to get there.  It takes work and prayer to build daily the strength, humility and trust that we need to muster to listen and act on our Father’s encouragement, which might sound like what Natalie encouraged her father to do:

 “Spare me? Don’t spare me anything troubling.
Trouble me, disturb me with all your cares and your worries.
Speak to me and let our words build a shelter from the storm.
Lastly, let me know what I can mend.”

Hear in all things the lessons of how to live. We, and our wisdom and healing, are here for each other, moved between us with the power of the Spirit.