You won't find the answers until you learn to question,
You won't appear stupid, just ask for directions,
You're insecure and it clouds your perception
So stop and listen and learn a lesson in love... without condition.
We were born into this world with the help of our mothers, who carried us in their womb for almost a year. Until the age of two, we are virtually helpless, requiring considerable attention and assistance. Until the age of eighteen, we are legal bound to receive help from our parents.
Basically, NATURE and SOCIETY are insisting that we as human beings require assistance in our journey through this life.
Which begs the question: Why is it so hard for us to ask for help???
I am horrible about asking for help. I have to get really, REALLY lost before stopping to ask for directions. This translates to life as well. In the past, I've been terrible about asking for help before I'm buried.
Last year, I made a move across several American states to take a teaching job. I recall a family member calling to ask me if they could help transport my things. Thinking this was too great of a convenience, I refused the help. They insisted, and won the argument in the end. They drove 2000 miles to help me move in to my new place.
When I started the new job, I quickly began to sink. With no family, no friends, and no life to speak of, I had no choice but to be consumed with work. Within months, I was severely ill, burnt out, and miserable.
At my lowest point, I sent an urgent email to a professional acquaintance, saying HELP!!!! Within days, she was in my office with a stack of music and perfect solutions to all of my dilemmas at work.
Weeks later, I was relaying this to a woman in a support position above me. She had investigated into how my year was going, and I gave her a generic answer. Not accepting this, she probed further. That was when I told her. Her response was simply Why didn't you ask for HELP??
I replied that I had indeed asked for help, but even I knew the ball had been dropped. I should have milked every resource I had. Instead, I took the high road, not wanting to seem incompetent.
After the school year ended, I met with a college mentor back home. When I relayed the year's events to him, he praised me for how I handled things. As I registered confusion, he explained that the greatest professional step a person can take is to ask for help.
We are surrounded by people of all ages who have had all kinds of experiences. Although I've encountered difficulty in my professional life, I've always known the value of turning to those who have gone before, and who have a vested interest in keeping me from making the same mistakes they've made.
All of this leads me to say that there are so many of us who exchange the gift of God for our own understanding. I don't know about you, but my understanding is affected by circumstances, perception, etc. With the biggest decisions of my life, I always find myself going to God. The scripture says, Lean not on your own understanding, but on every word that comes from God.
Asking for help and guidance doesn't mean you're stupid or incompetent. If anything, it makes you stronger, more able, and more apt to making decisions that you won't regret later.
