Discovering Who I Am, Healing, Relationships, Words of Endurance

Now that we know what we have—Jesus,
this great High Priest with ready access to God—
let’s not let it slip through our fingers.
We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality.
He’s been through weakness and testing,
experienced it all—all but the sin.
So let’s walk right up to him
and get what he is so ready to give.
Take the mercy, accept the help.
HEBREWS 4:16 (THE MESSAGE)

In admitting my weakness, I finally found strength but that strength did not come from within me. I discovered that the often-quoted adage, “God helps those who help themselves,” is not in the Bible nor is it a true fact of life. I needed help and I needed the help from Jesus and others – it was through them that I found my strength.

A woman once told me a joke: How do we know that Moses was a man? Because he wandered forty years in the wilderness and never once stopped to ask for directions. She thought it was funnier than I did. She was laughing at the fact that many men seem willing to go to almost any length to avoid having to ask for help. I don’t know if it’s a part of our culture or a part of our nature but I know from personal experience that asking for help is about the last thing I wanted to do.

As an amputee I needed help more often than a guy with a full set of limbs. There were a lot of little things I could no longer do for myself. Even though I accepted the fact that I now faced challenges that call for help it was not easy for me to admit. My shoulder, arm, and hand may have been gone but in my mind, I was still a jock – a self-sufficient, self-made guy. Prideful, I wanted to believe that I could make it on my own.

One of my greatest challenges in my maturing process was admitting that I needed help and that I will continue to need help. It was humbling. I needed help in most ways – from the smallest thing like asking someone to tie my shoes or letting someone cut my meat – to the emotional adjustments, Jan and I made with the help of a counselor. When I finally came to grips with the fact that I needed to ask others for help – I passed a marker on the road to maturity.

It was hard for me to even ask Jan for help but when I finally did accept her help I was extremely grateful for what Jan did for me. She was my advocate – the one who took the time and made the effort to find out what help I needed. She was my encourager – the one who came alongside me and helped me keep move forward. When I began to feel a bit better about what I was up against I was able to take bigger steps on my own but until I got to that place I needed a lot of help and encouragement. It was so true that …

It’s better to have a partner than go it alone.
… if one falls down, the other helps,
ECCLESIASTES 4:9-10 (THE MESSAGE)

Don’t be afraid to ask and accept help from others and don’t be afraid to ask and accept help from God. Don’t let your pride get in the way of you receiving the help you need because when you humble yourself before others and before God you will be lifted up – God has promised!

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God,
and at the right time, he will lift you up in honor.
1 PETER 5:6 (NLT)

On the journey with you,
Dave Dravecky