There are three types of people in this world – people that have gotten help (and may need it again), people who need help now, and people who pretend they don’t need help at all.

That’s a bit of a generalization, of course, but there’s some truth to it. I’ve been in all three categories on my walk with God, sometimes in more than one at a time. I’ve probably spent the most time, however, in the latter category, hiding from my struggles or acting like I've got them on my own. And while I don’t necessarily take comfort in it, I think it’s true that many believers are or have been in the same boat.

There are many reasons, I think, that people don’t seek help from others. For some, it’s an issue of trust – they’ve been burned so often that they assume everyone they meet has bad intentions. For others, it’s an issue of shame, a trauma or even a mistake from the past that weighs them down and leads them to believe that they don’t deserve help. Some struggle with the feeling that their problems aren’t worth the time of God or others. And there’s also the issue of pride, feeling as though having or being unable to solve your problems means that you’re less than others.

I’m sure there are plenty of reasons I didn’t name, but I can say that I’ve hidden my struggles for all of those I’ve listed here. Keeping them to myself, trying even to ignore them before God, was probably one of the biggest misjudgments I’ve made.

The truth is that even if, as I did with varying success, you are able to project a persona that is okay, we are prone to neglect our weaknesses.

We’re all weak sometimes. We stumble, we fall, we can’t do this on our own. God created us for community, and a major part of community is lifting up one another.

Consider the example set by the early Church. In his letters, Paul frequently asked for prayer from other believers. He also stated often that he was praying for them. He would share information about the current predicaments faced by both himself and fellow believers.

Indeed, Paul didn’t find weakness to be something of which to be ashamed; quite the contrary.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

The grace of God through Christ has reached out to us despite our weakness – as the old children’s church song says, “we are weak, but He is strong.” It’s hard to begin fathoming how much God loves us until we realize that we are infinitesimally small, fragile, and ultimately not necessary for Him. We can own our weakness because God loves us anyways, without condition – Christ died to fulfill the conditions and save us from our violations of them, our sin.

It is paramount to learn to bring our weakness to God, something that I’m still getting used to. It is also important, however, to be able to confess our weaknesses to one another – to other believers especially, and at times to those who are trained to help.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2 (NIV)

I’m still learning in this area. As hard as it can be to be real with ourselves and God, it can be harder still to open up to others. This is important, however, for a few reasons.

First, when we open up to one another, we allow ourselves to grow closer as individuals and community. This isn’t to say that we should open up to everyone, but rather that when we develop close friendships or need help from a professional, it can be beneficial. A significant part of closeness comes from vulnerability – you can’t walk through a locked gate.

The other reason, just as significant if not more so, is that we are not God. When we as Christians present ourselves as perfect, we misrepresent the Gospel. God didn’t save us because we were enough, but rather because we never could be enough on our own. As 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV) says, “we have this treasure in jars of clay” – jars that break easily, that have cracks in them, that are held together by Jesus."

There is no shame in needing help, in asking for it. The Gospel speaks to people who realize that they can’t do this on their own. It’s not easy – I have plenty of learning to do myself on how to be vulnerable – but God calls us to it with Him and one another.