I was talking to someone the other day and we were commenting on how hard it is to ask for help. Most of us if not all of us have helped someone else and really thought little of it. Some taller people (not me) will get stuff off the higher shelves in supermarkets when they see a person struggling, others will help older less technically minded people when they are stressed with machines and there are numerous ways that individuals help and then go on their way. I am sure that we can all think of little acts of kindness that we have carried out for others, so why is it so difficult when it is the other way? When we were carrying out the deed, we didn’t feel angry or offended, so what goes on in our heads that makes us believe that we are causing the person we need to ask, undue stress and problems. I have had to ask for lots of help in the last few years and I can honestly say that everyone has happily helped me, but I still would rather give the help than ask for it. Jesus doesn’t have a problem with us asking for things. In the bible we are encouraged to ask. In Matthew it says “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” That seems pretty explicit. that asking is ok, in fact it is expected. It is nice when our needs are anticipated and met without us saying anything but very few in our world are mind readers, so we need to mention our requirements. If Jesus is telling us to do it, we can’t go far wrong. Maybe if we thought how we would feel if someone was asking us for the help, rather than us asking someone else for the help, we would realise how unlikely it is that they would feel that you were being unreasonable or needy
God Bless
Maureen Kendall