Help: When We Say, “Yes.”

 

My Five Minute Friday prompt this week is—HELP. This largely unedited “rough draft” form of writing stretches this perfectionist, in the best of ways. I write for five minutes on a given topic. If you’re interested in learning more about 5-Minute Fridays, check out our hostess, Kate Motaung’s site. Or, click on the link at the bottom of this post. As you read my simpler Friday posts, I hope you’ll join in the conversation!

**I confess, I could have gone so  many different directions, and gone deeper, but five minutes is five minutes (or maybe 5:30 this time 😉 ).

HELP

My youngest had just turned one when he made up his mind he would not accept help when it came to eating. He pushed our hands away and gave us the stink eye on more than one occasion when we tried to help him.

This strong-willed, amazing boy has continued to have this trait of not accepting help from anyone if there’s even a remote a chance he can do “it” by himself.

I’m embarrassed to admit, I’ve had those same tendencies. That desire to do things on my own runs D-E-E-P.

I want to claim the applause of the accomplishment.

I don’t have to admit my need.

Man, we are prideful creatures, aren’t we?

Even though God tells us He is our help, I still want to have control over the things I’m trying to do. I want to do it in my timing, in  my way.

Whether it’s mothering, writing, or some other task, I’d simply rather do it on my own.

It’s so much easier that way.

Or is it?

Over the last number of years, God has allowed me into situations that are far bigger than myself.

Teaching elementary school for a few years before getting married.

Moving three times in two-and-a-half years. Yeah, that was kind of big too.

And mothering? This is a huge “bigger-than-me” thing.

God is showing me that there is a beauty in being able to ask for help. Being able to admit that yeah, I’m needy. Such a humiliating thing to confess in our culture.

But God never looks down on our neediness. (Click to Tweet)

He wants to help us. He’s told us He would, but He’s a gentleman. He’ll not push His way into our lives. More often than not, He will wait until we ask.

When we choose dependence on Him, and on others? That’s when relationships deepen. When we can share those vulnerabilities with others, that’s when we grow in depth as people.

When we refuse the help others offer, we can steal blessings from them.

Which way would God prefer we interact with others and with Him? As though we are part of a community of people who care about each other, or as though we’ve got it all figured out, but are dying on the inside?

What about you? When has someone’s offer to help you proven to be a blessing in disguise? When have you seen God’s help in your life? 

I’m linking up with Kate Motaung’s Five Minute Friday—HELP.