October 27, 2011
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Lean on Me
Ryan Duncan, TheFish.com
“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” – Ecclesiastes 4:12
A few months ago I got in a car accident on my way to the gym. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but my car, which I had only owned for a few months, was completely totaled. This left me with a really big problem. I now had no car, and no money to buy a new one. With no other options, I made that last, painful move that only desperate men can bare to make. I called my parents.
After playing phone tag for a few days, it was decided that in two weeks my mother would come down to visit and in that time she’d help me search for another car. Until then, I’d have to make do asking friends for help getting around. Now, let’s be clear on something; I hate asking for help. Overall, I think our culture puts a lot of emphasis on being independent. From an early age we’re taught you should deal with problems on your own, and that if you ask others for help, it’s a sign of weakness.
For me, it had been humiliating enough asking my parents to bail me out, and the thought of asking friends to chauffeur me around drove me completely nuts. So, I started walking everywhere I could manage. It got to the point where I’d walk two miles just to go work out at the gym, and it was only after eating a dinner of ramen noodles and peanut butter that I finally broke down and asked someone to take me to the grocery store. Things probably would have continued going like this, but then one of my friends shared a story with me from the book of Exodus,
“Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands. So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up--one on one side, one on the other--so that his hands remained steady till sunset.” - Exodus 17: 9-13
I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Moses had been too proud to let others help him. I mean, he was the leader of the Israelites, there must have been enormous pressure for him to put on a strong face, but instead he brought others to that hilltop because he knew he couldn’t do it alone. As Christians, it’s important that we don’t become so proud or stubborn that we are incapable of asking for help. The truth is, none of us can make our way through life alone, and Christ called us to help one another when we were in need. So swallow your pride and ask for help, because helping hands make a light burden.
Intersecting Faith and Life
Is your pride stopping you from asking for help?
Further Reading
Psalm 94:17
