Here I am writing on yet another thing I struggle with; it seems as if the list will never end. But as I have said before, I am choosing to no longer hide all of my struggles, but to make some of them public in hopes of benefiting even just one of my readers.

I am quite honestly terrible at asking for help. I make it too much of a point to prove that I can be independent. I am desperate to show others and/or myself that I can do things on my own. Because of this, I often stumble and struggle through problems until I am at a point of exasperation when it could simply be done so much easier with the help of another.

Have Your Voice Heard: Become an Odyssey Creator

When problems come my way, I am prone to hide them. I feel I don’t need to tell anyone how I feel because I don’t want to burden my friend(s) or family with my issues. I pretend that I have everything under control right up until it all blows up in my face, and even then I try to clean up the mess all by myself. I so often let my problems become bigger and more challenging than they need to be, simply because I naïvely believe I can get through it on my own. My loving friends and family so readily offer me help, and I take it for granted and deny it, all because of my own pride.

Leaving home one year ago and being forced to do more things on my own has taught me the value and goodness in having the ability to ask others for help. Once I was away from home and no longer had my friends and family close by to constantly offer their help that I was so quick to reject, I realized my mistakes.

So many tears, frustrations, and so much wasted time could have all been avoided if I had known then what I know now. If I had been willing to swallow my pride and if I had been wise enough to realize that humanity thrives upon fellowship, then I would not have had to learn so many lessons the hard way.

If I am personally so apt and eager to help anyone around me, why should I not allow others to do the same? Why am I so resistant to allow a friend to do their part as a friend and lend a helping hand or simply listen to me express the contents of my heavy heart? If it brings me joy to serve my friends in their time of need, why do I feel as if I must revoke that same joy from my loved ones? Galatians 6:2 actually says that bearing one another's burdens fulfills the law of Christ.

There is no shame in asking for help in a time of need. You are no less capable if you call upon a friend to give you advice, assist you in accomplishing a task, or just to be a shoulder to lean on in a tough time. Just because you are independent and self-sufficient doesn’t mean you have to do everything all by yourself. People are designed to need one another; no one should ever feel that they must navigate life alone. There is always, always, always someone, somewhere, to ask for help from. Even the most grand and intricate of buildings have a strong support system holding them up. Do not be foolish like me; ask for help when you need it.