Day 38 of Lent 2020

Are any of these statements you?

• I would rather do it myself so I know it is done right.
• I don’t know what to ask for.
• I don’t want to bother anyone.
• If I ask for help, it makes me seem weak or incompetent.
• I’m fine.

These statements are all me.

I love helping and supporting others. I would bend over backward to help others that needed my assistance. But when anyone who would ask me, “If there is anything I can do, please let me know.” I would be polite and say, “Thank you.” But then become silent because I don’t want to be a burden to others.

Almost eight years ago we uprooted our family and headed for the hills…the Black Hills. I was starting a new position as a middle school computer teacher and they needed me to fill in as an 8th grade reading teacher. I had some idea of what I wanted to do for my computer class. The teacher before me was a great help to me. As for reading, I had no idea. I had no books, no supplies, and no help from the administration. All I had were questions but I didn’t want to look like I was incompetent. I was an experienced teacher. A week before class was to start, I sat in my empty classroom crying.

My saving grace, my angel, my next-door teacher neighbor, heard me as she was working on her classroom. She was supportive, caring, gave me clarity, and helped me to laugh again. She picked me up and whizzed me into her room and gave me a teacher’s manual, a classroom set of books, and some novels I could borrow to use for reading aloud. I felt a sense of relief, my confidence came back, and I found a friendship that continues to this day.

Giving up self-sufficiency does not mean weakness. It means being willing to accept the fact that we are all human. Even God knew creating man that we need to help each other.

Now more than ever we need to be there for each other. In good times and in bad times we need to support each other and be willing to receive support too. Let our needs propel us to each other in a way that God intended us to be…helping each other out. You never know what might happen, or what friendships may bloom when we do that.