New Year, needier me. That’s my motto for this year. To be needy. Before deciding you don’t want to be my friend anymore, hear me out. I’m not referring to a greater need for human affection or care. When I say needier, I’m referring to spiritual neediness, the deep need for God in every aspect of my life. In examining my past year and praying for the year ahead, I realized that last year was filled with situations in which I needed God. Looking back, I can look at literally every moment of last year and see my need for God, but I wonder if I would’ve said the same thing if I were asked in each of those moments. That’s why I’m choosing to be needy for my New Year’s resolution. I’m not becoming needier, but instead becoming more aware of how needy I’ve always been.
I’m about to quote what is, arguably, in the top 10 most frequently quoted Bible passages, but please don’t just skip over it. Really read it and think about this concept of spiritual neediness. This is Paul writing to the Corinthians about an unknown problem/struggle that he refers to as “a thorn in my flesh.”
Each time he [God] said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
We all go through these things Paul lists to some extent, but we often try to figure it out on our own. What if this year, we dealt with our hardships and troubles by bringing them directly to God before anything else? Before worrying or trying to reason through it. What if we looked at our lives, saw our need, acknowledged that human strength and wisdom isn’t going to cut it, and gave it to God?
This past week I had to go to the dentist for a root canal, and I was really nervous about it. I hate teeth. So much. It doesn’t even have to be like anything serious. I cried every time I went for a routine cleaning until I was either a freshman or sophomore in high school. With my poor track record with dentists in mind, I texted three of my close friends to ask for prayer. I had made my neediness resolution before this, but one of the responses I received solidified my need to be needy. The text read, “His strength, not your own.” Short and simple but exactly what I needed to hear.
Life may have its ups and down, but we serve a God that is unchanging. Our situations change, but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Sure, the dentist freaks me out, but instead of living in this state of fear, I chose to acknowledge my need for God and ask for His strength. After acknowledging this, my anxiety about the whole situation decreased significantly, because I was no longer comparing what was coming to my past, but to my God.
This example is just one of the many situations of places where I will acknowledge my need for God throughout the year. Some others that come to mind for me are interacting with friends and family, being a leader in various campus organizations, fearing life after college, overthinking and overanalyzing everything, making decisions on jobs/internships for after graduation, worrying about my grades, and so many more. Needing God’s help and intervention isn’t restricted to big life choices or life changing circumstances. God is here for us in the big and the small. So this year, don’t try to do it all on your own, resolve to be needy and let God guide you through 2017.
Also, some closure on my root canal situation... I went to my appointment and the doctor told me that she didn't believe I needed one anymore. She had evaluated me two weeks before and said I needed it, but after looking again, she said I'm good for now. I had been praying that this would happen for months.
How cool is that? God is so good!
