I’m what you call a do-it-yourselfer. I don’t mean that on the weekends I’m out in the yard building a barn or some similar structure. First of all, I have no yard, and second of all, I have absolutely no need for a barn. No, what I mean is that I hate having to ask for help. When I do, it feels like I’m asking to be bailed out of something I should never have gotten into in the first place. So, I go along in silence, muddling through on my own, until I’m in so far over my head that I have no other option BUT to ask for help. Of course, by that point, I feel like a complete idiot.
You see, I’m the kind of person who doesn’t like to burden others with my problems. The way I see it, everyone else has their own issues, so I don’t want to add mine onto them. For years, I was under the impression that this was how good people lived; put up a façade of competency and confidence in front of others, then fall apart when you’re home by yourself. That seems to be the leading modus operandi among humanity today, especially in church.
I’m learning now, however, that we are not meant to live this way, especially in the church. The first church ever had it right. “And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. (Acts 2:44-45)” This was a community of about 3,000 people who had one thing in common – they had all experienced the extreme and unreasonable love of God through His son, and they wanted to lavish that love on everyone they could.
So, what happened? How did we get from that to where we are now? What, in the last 2,000 years, took the followers of Christ from sharing “everything they had” to saving face at all costs? I think it’s the desire for perfection. Christ Himself said it: “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)” Our idea of perfection, though, has been poisoned. According to popular opinion, in order to be perfect, we can have no flaws, no problems, whether they be physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. It’s an impossible goal, but we all strive for it anyway, giving ourselves ulcers in the process. I’m pretty sure this is not what God had in mind.
Christ told us one way to be perfect. A rich young man had asked Him what good deeds were necessary to obtain eternal life. Christ said that there is only One who is good, but to answer his question – “ . . . keep the commandments.” The young man asked which ones to keep (which always struck me as odd; I mean, Christ said keep the commandments, not some of the commandments). Christ listed a few of the commandments to be kept, but the young man wasn’t satisfied. “I’ve done all that; what else do I have to do?” He was essentially asking how to be perfect. Christ’s response was this; “If you want to be perfect, sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. (Matthew 19: 16-22)”
This is what I think everyone misses, including me. We are blessed when we help others. And, yes, it’s very easy to go and help the less fortunate when it’s all set up by a non-profit organization, and we can make a tax-deductible donation or spend an hour or so serving food. But we’re called to even more than that. Look back at the passage from Acts. The first believers shared everything that they had. This implies, in my mind, that they had to tell each other their needs so that they could help appropriately. Nowhere in scripture does it say that they all put on brave faces in their trials so that no one else would feel burdened.
All of this is to say that I now realize that I’ve been robbing other people of blessings by not allowing them to help me. None of us was meant to do life alone. It just doesn’t work that way. We have needs throughout this life, and I think there are two reasons: one is so that we can learn to rely on God, to truly lean on Him for all our needs. The other is so that God can bless people by working through them. I know I’ve been blessed by helping others when I could. Why shouldn’t I give others the opportunity when I’m in need?
God is working to diminish my pride so that others can be used in my life. This is how true community is built; by leaning on each other. I’m done standing stoically when I’m falling apart inside. It’s going to be a tough transition, but God is showing me how to live in the community in which He’s placed me. After all, Christ ran around with 12 other guys to help Him out. If the only perfect person ever to walk the earth could accept help from His friends, then I should feel no shame in asking for the occasional hand, especially from my good friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ.
So, to those who have been in my corner, thank you. You are my heroes, and you have been the hands and feet of God in my life. I hope that I can one day return the favor. God bless.
No comments:
Post a Comment