#19: Accept help, we know you need it

20 Oct #19: Accept help, we know you need it

You didn’t know I was cool enough to have that did you? (I’m not really, I just have awesome blogger friends.

So really what keeps us youngsters from accepting help from other people, especially our friends?  Oh boy…does it take one to know one on this subject…?  So I’ll say I am not stellar at accepting help…period.  I want to seem like I have it all together and that I have got things figured out and kept up with.  Not only do I want it to seem like that to people, I actually want that to be the case.  In reality that is not the case at all…so here is also to being authentic.  So I’ll just go ahead and say that I don’t have anything together, I scrape by a lot of the time, and honestly probably need help way more than I would ever ask for it.  I digress though, and that could be a whole other blog post in and of itself.  

Here is my take though…I think that we go from living at home with our parents to living at college (generally) and we begin the process of breaking away and growing up, which in my terms means learning to do things on your own.  I fully support and encourage that time, as it is the gaining of independence and more freedom that allows us to become the people we are meant to be.  That being said, I feel that the next step in the growing up/independence part is also learning when you are in over your head or could just use a pick me up and being willing to ask or accept help.  That can be in the form of buying coffee for a friend who left a wallet, making copies of a study guide for an overwhelmed grad student, or writing a blog for a busy best friend.  All three of those things happened either for me or from me in the last week.  Coincidence?  I think not.  Those are small examples, but there are plenty of bigger ones in which we should be cultivating the ability to say yes to help.    

I’m all too aware of the pressure and influence of our culture in every aspect of my daily life, and as much as I would love to say that it doesn’t have an effect on me…it most definitely does.  We are taught to not air our business to people and to further the individual while moving away from community.  That may have a little bit of drama added but not a far stretch by any means.  So what is a 20 something to do with that??  What we do best I suppose…go against the grain, modeling the One who came before us to give us the gift of eternity when we needed it, without us ever having to ask or, for some, even accept it. And who are we to put ourselves above the greatest ‘helper’ of all time?  So take note, be observant, and notice when there is a need that you can fill somewhere and just do it!  On top of that, if you are on the receiving end of said help…take a deep breath and welcome the chance to be taken care of (or at least try to).  And if there was any confusion on where God lies on this whole subject, just a few of dozens of passages regarding help.   

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.  

Genesis 2:18

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.  

Hebrews 13:16

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.  

Galatians 6:2

So thanks to ELW for accepting help when she didn’t necessarily need it, cause she can handle it gracefully  

For more on the 31 day challenge check it out here…