At two years old, my youngest child, Jessica, has entered her independent stage. I used to be able to help her do things like get into the van. Not anymore. “No! Do it myself!” she wails if I try to assist her.
There are many things Jessica wants to do by herself, but she’s not always able to do what she desires. It gets frustrating for me, having to watch her attempt something for herself that I could do for her ten times faster, and not be “allowed” to help her.
Sometimes, when Jessica realizes she can’t do something, she’ll ask for help. Other times, she won’t. She’ll just keep trying unsuccessfully, usually fussing about it.
Jessica’s not alone in wanting to be independent when she really needs help. You and I are the same way. Take mothering, for example. Often, we’re slow to ask for help because we think that we should be able to do it all—that if we would just try harder or better, we could do everything.
It’s bad enough when we try to mother without being willing to ask for or accept assistance from other mothers. It’s worse when we try to navigate life without help from God.
How many times have we called our friends or family first when we’re faced with a problem, instead of talking to God? How often have we found ourselves in the middle of a situation before we remembered to pray?
If you’re like me, the answer is “far too many times”.
We want to do things on our own because we can thus maintain the illusion of control, or because we want to believe that we’re ultra-capable and thereby give our self-esteem a boost.
But do you know what? We weren’t made to be independent of God.
Even when we think we’re independent, we’re not. When we think we’re accomplishing life without God’s help, we’re not. After all, who gave us our bodies that we use to accomplish things? Who gave us our mind, our personality, our skills?
Anything we accomplish is done with God’s help, even if we don’t specifically ask for it.
We may not know this, but God does. He’s well aware of our limitations because He created us. How ridiculous must it look to Him when He sees us thinking we’ve got it all together and don’t need His help?
Sometimes, as I do with Jessica, God stands back and watches, letting us come to the realization that we can’t do something on our own. I’ll bet it frustrates Him. But He knows we have to come face to face with our insufficiency so that we can realize we are merely creatures, and we need Him.
When God shows us we need His help, what do we do? Do we keep trying to do the task on our own, complaining, stressing about it and refusing to ask for help? Or do we humble ourselves and admit our need?
What are you and I facing right now in life wherein we need God’s help? (If our answer is “nothing”, we’re badly mistaken.) Have we admitted that we need help, or are we still struggling along on our own, struggling, complaining, and stressing?
May we be quick to acknowledge our limitations, let God take our burdens, and accept the help He offers.
1 Corinthians 4:7—What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
2 Chronicles 14:11— Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you.”