As Hurricane Sandy made her way through our area yesterday, I found myself home from work and catching up on some much needed reading. Around 2 this morning I stumbled upon this site (that I now love) called Clutch magazine.
One of yesterday's articles dealt with a subject I found very relevant to my relationship with God: Asking for help! I'm definitely a student from the school of "create your own opportunities" and "do it yourself if you want it done right." That's why portions of this article rang true to me.
In one excerpt, the writer says, "Whether I’m doing a crossword puzzle or weathering an emotional storm, I’ll handle it on my own, thankyouverymuch." I got a nice little chuckle about this until the writer then pointed out the reasons people choose not to ask for help. One of them being the shame and vulnerability that comes with admitting help is needed. Another being not wanting to appear weak. Suddenly the article wasn't so funny anymore.
As it went on to list 5 reasons it's important to ask for help, I found each one to be directly applicable to seeking God for help.
Personally, there are times when I struggle with the basic, every day living of this life as a Christian. As much as I am spiritual, I am still human and therefore prone to emotions, desires, and feelings that, quite frankly, run counter to having a right relationship with God. It's at these times where I've found myself saying,"Lord, I need help."
When I reached this point for the first time it was both scary and liberating. Scary because of the reason mentioned above. The vulnerability of it all had me on edge and I felt weak needing help for something so basic. But then I felt liberated when the Lord caused me to remember this is what He's there for! He's such a loving and caring God and He wants to help! I then got excited by the fact I could go to the Lord of Lords, the king of kings and simply say, "Help, please."
Below is the list of 5 reasons it's important to ask for help. I found each one to be a healthy reminder of why it's especially important to seek God in times of need.
1. Because it takes a strong person to admit you need help
2. Asking for help strengthens your relationships
3. No one can get through life on their own
4. There might be a simple solution for your complicated problem
5. If we can all be a little more open and honest, the world will be a better place.
Check out the full article here
As I just finished up reading chapter 6 of Valorie Burton's "Where Will You Go From Here," I decided to check my email and I saw your post. You talked about exactly what I just read in a chapter titled, "Where Can You Turn for Help." She used Ecclesiastes4:9-12 as the basis for the chapter. In Valorie Burton's words, "Asking for help requires humility,asking for the right kind of help requires wisdom, asking the right person to help requires discernment." I recommend this book to anyone who has experienced setbacks whether self-inflicted or due to circumstances out of your control.
ReplyDelete-Katrina Womack
Trina, thanks much for sharing. Looking up Ecclesiastes 4 now :-)
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