By Doug Creamer
Needing Help
There is one thing that most people do not want to admit: I need help. We all want to be able to take care of our own needs. We will work hard to figure out how we can do a task all by ourselves. If we can’t see the solution immediately, we will keep thinking about how we can do it on our own. We struggle to accept help in order to get things done.
The trouble is, especially as we age, that sometimes we need help to do a task. The question becomes, who do we ask for help? What kind of relationship do we have with a neighbor or co-worker? Can we ask them for help? What will they think? Will we feel like a burden to them? Do they feel obligated to help or are they helping out of kindness?
I find it easier to offer help than to receive it. If a neighbor or co-worker needs help with something I will be there to give them a hand. Sometimes I will do something to help a neighbor without being asked; that’s what good neighbors do. We look out for each other and we care about each other. So why is it difficult to receive that same kind of help?
I had some tasks that I needed to do outside that twenty years ago I would done without asking for help. I might have had some sore muscles, but it would have felt good to have the tasks done. After hurting my back in the spring, I am a little more cautious. While I feel like I have fully recovered, I decided it would be nice to have a little help to get these things done.
A friend from church was willing to come give me a hand. In just under four hours we were able to knock out my list. It felt great to get those things done. As a bonus, we got to enjoy some good fellowship and share some great laughs. I enjoyed the opportunity to get to know my friend a little better.
I will ask the question again, why do we struggle so much with asking for help? Could it be a matter of pride? No one wants to admit that we are getting older or need help. I know I sit down to rest more often when I am working outside. I also make sure I am using my legs to lift and not my back. Regardless, I still want to do things on my own and not have to ask for help.
Imagine how this translates to our spiritual lives. We want to be spiritually strong and independent. But the Body of Christ is designed so we are dependent on each other. We are the family of God and we will have to lean upon each other from time to time. God designed us with strengths and weaknesses. Each of us has different talents, skills, and abilities. No one can do it all. We need each other for support and encouragement.
If the Body of Christ was dependent on me for singing, we would be in terrible trouble. I love to sing, but I know that I do not have a good singing voice. God has given me the gifts of teaching, writing, and encouraging. I am good at these things and people need me to use my gifts and talents to build up and encourage the Body of Christ.
We will all find ourselves going through difficult times at some point. Maybe you are going through the loss of a loved one, maybe you are facing financial struggles, or maybe you have recently given your life to God and you need help growing in your faith. Whatever you are struggling with, especially if it’s medical stuff, there is someone in the family of God who made it through that same situation who can pray with and for you as you walk on your journey. God wants us to help each other and to accept help from each other.
I want to encourage you to be willing to accept a helping hand when you find yourself in the place of need. I know you might prefer to be the helper instead of the one receiving help, but it is God’s design that you need to learn to receive as easily as you give. We need to let someone else use their gifts and abilities to be a blessing and learn to receive that blessing from them. I know it is a hard lesson. I have much to learn. It is part of the beauty of the Body of Christ, blessing and being blessed.
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
