I have a problem accepting help from others. I am a very independent person and throughout my life I have grown very accustomed to doing things on my own. It is my first hand nature to simply roll up my sleeves and get to work on whatever needs done. Whether the washing machine breaks or the lawn needs mowed and I’m wearing an eye patch and can barely see to mow it, I get things accomplished. I push through the pain. I stretch myself. I even get overwhelmed trying to get it all done, but I get it finished.
Asking for help is something I do not like to do but I am getting better. There was a time when it was a pride issue. Then it turned into an issue of not wanting to inconvenience anyone. But today’s passage makes it clear that when something needs addressed, it is important to seek advice from others, to get help from others. Wise guidance. We all need wise guidance. The verse refers to getting this advice before we make war; however, help is needed in many facets of life.
We are not meant to do life alone. We are supposed to have a community of people to which we belong, and the community is to help encourage, strengthen, comfort, equip, support, and interact with each other. When someone needs help, the group is there. When someone falls, the group helps to pick them up. Ecclesiastes made it clear that two is better than one so we need to never push people away. We need to remember that counsel is important, and that we should appreciate and take all the help offered. Refusing is denying the blessing. Refusing is piling the burden on your shoulders. Refusing to do life with others is living in a way God never intended.
“Form your purpose by asking for counsel,
then carry it out using all the help you can get.”
-Proverbs 20:18 [MSG]
Tania Gutekunst 