Asking for Help

by Dawn Sneden

What is it about us Type A, independent types that keeps us from asking for help when we need it? We have busy schedules and high expectations, with ourselves being the first victims of our disappointments. We want to be capable and efficient, able to pull off all sorts of feats without the need to ask for help.

It took many years for me to realize that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness but a sign that we belong to the rest of the human race! The people we know and love need to know that we need them too. We need to recognize our own limits, suck it up, and ask for help! Instead of feeling like a failure, we can feel relieved that others in our life want to help us.

I saw this illustrated recently while I was on vacation with friends and family. Since I was the informal organizer of the group activities (Type A shining through!), I wanted to make sure everyone had a great time and that we had opportunities to be all together. On a particular day after a group breakfast and a busy day at the beach, I was feeling especially tired. But we had planned an ice cream sundae bar at night before watching the fireworks. I could have pulled myself up by the bootstraps, overextended myself and gone ahead as planned. Instead, I asked one of the other families if they would be willing to “take charge” and host that activity. They were happy to do it and as a consequence, we all had a great time and my family didn’t have to bear the brunt of a stressed-out, tired mom!

God never asked us to be self-sufficient islands. He wants us to work in conjunction with others, enjoying those relationships in the process. “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:9) Don’t rob someone else of an opportunity to do you good!