Reason #158
I struggled for a good 15 minutes trying to put my comforter back inside the duvet cover tonight. A task that would have been easier if my arms were 6 feet long or if I would have had an extra set of hands to help. I eventually came up with a solution and it worked.
And I thought about how nice it is to have a helper. How nice it is to not have to tackle things on your own. But most of the time we are selective when it comes to help. We want help when we face a difficulty. We want help when we're scared. We want help when we're clueless. But then there are times when we don't want help. We want to do it on our own. We don't need help, or so we think. Because really, we see the helper as a hindrance. Getting in the way of what we are trying to accomplish. If they help, they might not help in the way we want. And some times, we don't want to ask for help. If we do, we fear we'll look weak, incompetent, inferior, inadequate. If we can do it on our own, relying on our own abilities, maybe others will think highly of us. Maybe they'll think we're strong and capable. But as I've walked through the past many months, I've come to realize that we weren't meant to do this alone. We weren't meant to do life alone. And not only did God give us one another to help each other out, He, too desires to help. He desires to do life with us. "Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you." (Psalm 37:5)
"Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely." (Psalm 63:7-8) My helper. My right hand man. And yet I so often resist His help and decide when I'll accept it. No thank you, I can do this on my own. I'm a strong, independent girl. I've got this. In fact, let me help you. But the real truth is, I am a little selfish when it comes to me. If I let Him help, He might do something I don't want. If I let Him help, He might change my plans. And to be completely honest, when I finally did let Him help, rather than trying to be His helper, both of those things happened. But He didn't let go. That strong hand held me as He helped me. And when He had helped me through it, He kept on holding me. Helping me every step of the way...still is. And the remarkable thing is, because He helped me, He gave me reasons to sing for joy as I waited in the shadows, slowly realizing that He was doing this with me and often times for me.
"But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God." (Psalm 146:5) So I've realized how nice it is to have a helper rather than trying to play the role of helper. And sometimes you just have to commit, trust and hope because the help may come in a form that you don't particularly like or understand at the time. That help might not seem helpful at first. But give it time and then look back. It's amazing what a little retrospect reveals. It really is amazing how faithful He is to be our "ever-present help" (Psalm 46:1) when we finally ask Him. And what joy it brings to know that He desires to help us through life, to do life with us.
#158 - Because He holds me as He helps me, doing life with me.
"The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." - Psalm 28:7
And I thought about how nice it is to have a helper. How nice it is to not have to tackle things on your own. But most of the time we are selective when it comes to help. We want help when we face a difficulty. We want help when we're scared. We want help when we're clueless. But then there are times when we don't want help. We want to do it on our own. We don't need help, or so we think. Because really, we see the helper as a hindrance. Getting in the way of what we are trying to accomplish. If they help, they might not help in the way we want. And some times, we don't want to ask for help. If we do, we fear we'll look weak, incompetent, inferior, inadequate. If we can do it on our own, relying on our own abilities, maybe others will think highly of us. Maybe they'll think we're strong and capable. But as I've walked through the past many months, I've come to realize that we weren't meant to do this alone. We weren't meant to do life alone. And not only did God give us one another to help each other out, He, too desires to help. He desires to do life with us. "Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you." (Psalm 37:5)
"Because you are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your strong right hand holds me securely." (Psalm 63:7-8) My helper. My right hand man. And yet I so often resist His help and decide when I'll accept it. No thank you, I can do this on my own. I'm a strong, independent girl. I've got this. In fact, let me help you. But the real truth is, I am a little selfish when it comes to me. If I let Him help, He might do something I don't want. If I let Him help, He might change my plans. And to be completely honest, when I finally did let Him help, rather than trying to be His helper, both of those things happened. But He didn't let go. That strong hand held me as He helped me. And when He had helped me through it, He kept on holding me. Helping me every step of the way...still is. And the remarkable thing is, because He helped me, He gave me reasons to sing for joy as I waited in the shadows, slowly realizing that He was doing this with me and often times for me.
"But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God." (Psalm 146:5) So I've realized how nice it is to have a helper rather than trying to play the role of helper. And sometimes you just have to commit, trust and hope because the help may come in a form that you don't particularly like or understand at the time. That help might not seem helpful at first. But give it time and then look back. It's amazing what a little retrospect reveals. It really is amazing how faithful He is to be our "ever-present help" (Psalm 46:1) when we finally ask Him. And what joy it brings to know that He desires to help us through life, to do life with us.
#158 - Because He holds me as He helps me, doing life with me.
"The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving." - Psalm 28:7