A message in church, on yesterday, left me thinking pretty hard. The message was titled: "Help is On The Way." While I found the message encouraging, it also convicted me. The pastor indicated that God is a helper and will send what we need. He mentioned that we must ask for help and expect that it will come because we serve a God that never misses. It got me to thinking of the the time I needed help but didn’t ask and the times where I was hesitant to receive the help.
This brought back a term that I had often seen and experienced while working in the mental health field. Learned helplessness is a term used to describe someone that has been through a tough situation(s) and while there is a desire for things to change, no true action takes place. Whether we like to admit it or not, there are short term benefits to not changing and staying in the same place. The biggest one is comfort. On the flip side, it has a whole list of drawbacks!
Some of us are in need of help in various areas of our lives: finances, childcare, marriage, career, education, etc. We are able to determine that we need help. Are we really asking for the help? Are we open to receiving the help that comes? If the answer is yes, than you are moving in the right direction and should give yourself a pat on the back. If not, we gotta work on it! Yesterday, a thoughtful member of the church created these blessings in bag, filled with hand sanitizer, snacks, gift card, masks, etc for the homeless in our community. (Such a great idea! Feel free to steal it and make your own) My husband and I grabbed a few of them to give to those we may encounter in the community. We run a couple of errands after church and see a homeless man on the corner. We both instantly thought to give a blessing in a bag. We jumped at the opportunity and were so excited. I rolled down my window with the bag, ready to give it to the man. The man looked at me and aggressively said, That’s not what I asked you for”, kept walking and used profane language to express his dissatisfaction with what was presented to him. Even though he needed the help, he declined the help that was being attempted because it was not what he wanted, which was money as he stated. I don’t want to get into what he was going to use it for and all of that. What he failed to realize was there gift cards with money in the bag as well. I thought to myself, how many of us are like this or somewhat similar? You ask or pray for help. The help that is sent in a different form, you decline.
This brings me to my question: Do you really want the help? This can only by what you do and how you handle things. You have to be open minded because if you are not, you will miss the blessings. Not only could the man have gotten money in the form of a gift cards he could have also gotten food, water, hygienic products and more. Maybe you aren't homeless but maybe you have lost or are without something. Perhaps you are out of work, money, trust, love and more. You are asking God for that very thing that was lost. God is saying let go of your way and allow my way for things you request. He knows what your need is because you prayed but accept the help that he sends because his help brings you more than you even asked for. Thank you for reading and I hope this was a encouraging words that you will share with others.
Continue to discover, accept and chase purpose. God Bless You, Yes you!