Dare To Ask!

Asking for help is hard…..really hard. My preferred route, in a time of struggle, is to bear down and pretend everything’s fine, isolate, throw myself a string of silent pity parties, and then finally fall apart to whoever is unfortunate enough to ask me how I’m doing.

The accompanying thought process is its own defeating swirl: I should be able to handle this. This problem is too insignificant for God to care about…But everything is falling apart! No, everything’s fine. You’re being irrational. You need to talk to someone about this. But I don’t want to burden anyone else with my issues. That person walking over better not ask me how I’m doing…oh, the conversations that can go on in my mind!

I’m certain I’m not alone in this unhealthy pattern. There’s an attractive, but false, sense of righteousness in isolationism: I’ll suffer silently so that I don’t bring anyone else down or bother God with my whining. But in doing this, we’re actually missing God’s design for our need.

Sometimes we avoid asking for help out of fear that it admits failure. We think, I should be able to handle this on my own; I’m supposed to succeed. I just need to push through.

Sometimes we avoid asking for help out of fear that it will be a burden to others. We think, I don’t want to drag someone else down with my pain, situation, circumstance. It’s not fair for me to ask someone else to carry this weight. 

I sometimes tell myself the lie that God isn’t that interested (if i remember Him in those times), or is even a little annoyed with me. Surely it must be draining to see my failures and then to hear me ask for help over and over again.

Remember: God longs to meet our needs. God is strong and desiring to cover us with his grace and help. He gives us his own compassion and places rightful people in our paths, gifted to care for each other. We don’t have to give in to the isolation and thought swirl and heavy burdens. What a relief!

 

 

 

So…….dare yourself and ask!