Will You Ask for Help

Today is the first “official” day of the Beacon of Hope Leadership Retreat and I am sure it will be a roller coaster of emotion for me.  How do I know?  Because we are going to be working on our vision and tying it to our emotional why.  YIKES!

For those who know me, they will probably agree that asking for help is not one of my strong points.  I will readily admit my weaknesses but I always feel like I am “bothering someone” when I ask for help.  I remember watching my dad build and fix everything when I was growing.  Mom never asked for help either – even when my parents divorced and things were tough.

I leaped into my first business “Special Tots”, handmade premature baby clothes with both feet.  I struggled because I had no real business sense.  I was a crafter who loved making the clothes and helping parents of prematures – long before there was a market like this.  I ended up closing that business because I was not ready for the next growth spurt AND I didn’t ask for help.

When Belinda arrived on the scene, I was a single mom working full-time and in the midst of my addiction.  Did I ask for help?  NO!  Family offered and in only extreme cases I did ask or should I say “drop subtle hints” for help.  I often felt alone and very unprepared for this season of my life.

Then came recovery from my addiction.  WOW!  If that wasn’t a wake-up call.  I needed to ask for AND accept help.  Although people were willing to help, on the outside I was gracious but on the inside, I was a mess.  I felt like I was a burden, inconveniencing people, whining and so unworthy of any praise for accomplishments along the way.

There’s a world of wisdom, open hearts, caring arms, and gentle smiles just waiting for an opportunity to give in some way. (Matthew 5:16)

How I wish I could have realized this truth sooner. How many tears I could have saved and how much stress I could have relieved myself from! Satan wants us to believe the lie that no matter what our “need” is, we are a bother to someone or an inconvenience. 

Whenever I hear that lie being whispered in my ear, I think of the people that I know who would drop anything and come running to help or encourage me.  I freely give the gift of me to others but when it comes to receiving, I definitely struggle.

So, as I seek my emotional why today and visual my goal; I will ask for help.  I will not believe Satan’s lie that I am a bother, a complainer or unworthy.  I will receive the gift of someone’s help so that they can feel the same blessings that I feel when I give to someone else.

All of this was on my heart as I prepare for today and I hope that it has touched someone who is struggling.  Struggling with asking for help whether it is in your personal life or your business.

We all fall short and sometimes it is not easy to admit that we need help. That we need someone to pull us out of a deep abyss.   If you are one in need, ask for help, trust me – someone is just waiting to be asked.