For Each Other
Take a minute and think about a sword, a piece of metal to be formed into a reliable weapon to combat foes. You may think about design, weight, size, sharpness, balance, or usefulness. Did you think about its maker? Well, it didn’t just make itself. It needed to be made. In order to be sharpened, one must sharpen it. It has to be well designed, crafted, shaped, sharpened, and prepared by someone else. It is put in and out of the fire to get its strength and slicing ability. The sword needs a maker to even be a sword at all.
We are all swords, and we need others. We need to be sharpened by others, we need balance of independence and dependence to effectively work, much like a sword needs balance to enhance its use. We most definitely need our Maker, with a capital M. God saw our need and provided:
“Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”‘ Genesis 2:18 (NLT)
Let’s take a look at this, so God realized that Man (being the stronger gender) needed help and that it wasn’t good to be alone. God knew the need and provided. Others are a gift from God to be helpers in our lives. But we are stubborn and proud people.
Pride and Inconvenience
I am included. I consider myself an independent person and I have pride to say the least. Not the pride that comes with love of country or when your child gets the goal at the soccer game. It’s the pride that you think you know best, you want to do everything yourself; your way. I see this mainly in my classroom. I don’t ask for help like I should as a new teacher. I want to figure it out myself; I want to prove myself through pride. (I naturally take the long or hard way of doing things, don’t ask me why). And as you may figure, it comes to bite me in the butt. Work smarter not harder, as wise people will say. It would save me some gray hairs in the future and some frustration in the present if I asked for help.
Just the other day, my husband suggested that I call a friend of ours just to talk and pray about fears I was having. My immediate thought was “No, I don’t want to.” But knowing it was going to benefit and encourage me with prayer, I decided to call my friend and it was a blessing. (Also Josiah was right, as he usually is). So why did I not want to call? Pride. I don’t want people to know my faults, to see the cracks in the pottery. I want people to think I have it all together.
Not only can pride get in the way, but more often than not I don’t want to inconvenience people. You may feel that way too. BUT YOU ARE NOT INCONVENIENCING PEOPLE; YOU ARE BLESSING THEM! It may be hard to think of it this way, especially if the people helping are always helping or what you are asking is a huge favor. But still, God blesses people who bless you.
“‘And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.'” Matthew 10:42 NLT
We need God, for sure! But we also need others.
“As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend” Proverbs 27:17 NLT
So, if you are advised or encouraged to call that friend, your-go-to-for-advice person, CALL. It’s a blessing. We need friends to help us grow our faith, to sharpen our swords together to fight the spiritual fight. Now, you may be thinking you have all you need in family, or that you have Jesus and that’s all you absolutely need. Although both are important and are necessary, you may need more than just your family within your 4 walls. You need community. Family is interesting. They are the ones that know you the best or not at all, see the best in you or the worst, share in your greatest accomplishments or pray over your worst failures. But often times, God puts people in our lives to talk, pray, and help sharpen us…..even during Corona.
We were not meant to do church behind a computer screen only with our blood related family and call it sufficient. Is a sword sharpened from a distance? A sword and its whet stone must be in contact one way or another with each other. There’s a relationship there.
I’ve heard it said…..
Think about it this way. Jesus didn’t go to the cross with just his family. He didn’t go alone. Jesus, who literally doesn’t need anything, decided to go with a close group of friends. He then asked them to go make disciples. Not only that, He never sent them alone. That should show you God’s emphasis and the importance of letting people help you and helping others.
I’ve heard this said before: “God helps those who help themselves.” Okay, 2 things. 1: That contradicts itself, and 2: It’s simply not true. Now, I won’t deny that I have probably said this before in hopes of motivating people to get a move on something. However, we were made to need help. Even before the fall of man, we needed a garden, we needed each other, we needed food, and of course God. If we didn’t need, why did Jesus take on the cross? We need desperately and especially, Jesus. We needed Him to create the world, to die our death, to be raised to life, and everyday forever. We need.
Friendly reminder 🙂
Now I am not saying, just let people do for you with your hand out. I am not saying not to work hard. But let people help you. Let people pour into you even in this time of social distance, find a way. Even in the uncertainty of what life without Corona will look like, sharpen each other, call each other, set up virtual Bible studies. (I’m speaking to myself as well.) Don’t let fear, pride, the feeling of inconveniencing a person, or self-righteousness let you be robbed of a blessing.
So as I remind myself, I pray and hope that we accept help and give help to others. Let’s humble ourselves before a loving, gracious, strong, limitless, all sufficient, helpful, Maker, who needs nothing but wants to give every ounce of who He is. I encourage you to support and pour into others, invest time into, or give 5 minutes to call, someone. Don’t forget to let others help you too. Lest you miss out on a blessing. Let’s sharpen our iron, together!
Food for Thought:
Here are a few questions as you think about helping others and asking for help:
- Why is it hard to ask for help? Do you think you need it or don’t need it?
- Are you feeling like you may be inconveniencing a person to ask for their help?
- What’s stopping you from helping others? Pride?
- What are small things that you can do today to help others?
- Are there areas that someone is trying to help you and you are not wanting it?
- Are there ways you can bring in community even during this time of social distancing and virtual communication?
I hope this blog has been encouraging and relatable to you. Have a graceful day!
–LOVE, Amber
