A Helping Hand

Ex. 17:12-13 Moses’ arms finally became too tired to hold up the staff any longer. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side, holding up his hands until sunset. As a result, Joshua and his troops were able to crush the army of Amalek.

I have always liked these verses. They speak to me about my need for others in my life. I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to want to do things on my own. I don’t like to admit I need help. I don’t like to call on others to come to my aid. Yet, I do need help. I am not superman. I cannot do all that needs to be done. I cannot do all things.

I have discovered it is okay to admit I am sometimes helpless to help myself. Whether it’s in the church or in my personal life, I am much better off and find I can do much better in life, if I simply humble myself and asked for help. Wisdom tells us that many hands make for light work. It also enables far more work to get done.

At the root of why we sometimes are so independent is our lack of trust in the ability of others to do things like we think they should be done. We think we are the only ones capable of getting things right. It’s much easier to just do it ourselves. Yet, experience teaches us that it’s just not true.

Pride also gets in the way.  When we get the idea that we are just fine and don’t need anyone’s help, we have a false impression of our worth, let alone our capabilities.  No one is beyond the need for a helping hand.  There are simply many things others can do better than we can.  It is good for us to rely on others to help us get through whatever we are dealing with in life.

Sometimes we need help from others, and sometimes we need to be the ones doing the helping. It is good when we reach out and help someone in need. It not only helps them, it helps us as well. 

If you have a problem with trusting in the abilities and integrity of others or are to proud to let others help you, perhaps you need to take it to the Lord and ask him to help you overcome your mistrust and pride. We hinder what God wants to do through us when we try to go it alone.