Like most men, I married a woman significantly wiser and smarter than me. While she is better than me at 99% of things, I have found myself further along with Spanish than here. This is due to the fact I work in a Spanish speaking environment while she works in an English speaking one. Awhile back (before COVID craziness) my wife decided she did not need any help to go to the pharmacy. In Nicaragua it is typical to just go to a pharmacy instead of a doctor, as it is quicker and cheaper (and no prescriptions are typically needed). You simply go the pharmacist, explain your symptoms, and they will give you the appropriate medication. She made herself a script on Google Translate, practiced it, and said it to the pharmacist. She must have delivered it well, because the pharmacist not only understood her, but preceded to rapidly respond in Spanish. Not wanting to let on that she had no clue what was being said, she simply nodded and said si a lot, finally leaving with three different medications. Upon arriving home she realized she had no idea how to use them, as she had not understood the instructions and had not been given written ones. She ended up taking the wrong amount and got sicker then she was in the first place. In case you think I’m being unfair sharing my wife’s embarrassing story, I’ll share mine. I turned down help buying a used car here, and paid $11,000 for a car I six months later basically sold for scrap. We’ve both learned the hard way that it’s ok to ask for help!
I share these stories because most of us hate to admit we don’t know what we are doing, and we REALLY hate to ask for help. This is especially a problem for us men. We would rather suffer mightily then ask for help. If you think about that for a minute, that’s a ridiculous sentiment! Yet, nearly everyday we choose to go it alone instead of asking God to help us with the many trials we face. Take a look at what Jesus tells us about asking for God’s help and guidance:
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. John 14:12-14
God desires to hear our needs in life, and God desires to help us with those needs. God never meant us to go through life alone. Its us who so often choose to go that route to our own detriment. God desires to hear us and to help us. We need to realize that it is actually VERY manly to ask for God’s help. This week, share with God all of the challenges you are facing. Stop suffering needlessly, and start asking for help from the creator, sustainer, and savior of all.
