{"id":1445,"date":"2012-12-18T10:10:35","date_gmt":"2012-12-18T17:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/billintheblank\/?p=1445"},"modified":"2012-12-18T10:10:35","modified_gmt":"2012-12-18T17:10:35","slug":"help-i-need-somebody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/","title":{"rendered":"Help! I Need Somebody!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

It\u2019s not a word I like to use often. Maybe you\u2019re different. It seems some people are.\u00a0 They use it all the time. The dreaded word?<\/p>\n

Help.<\/p>\n

Or better yet \u2014 Help! I need somebody!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Photo via www.lifegroup413.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The last few weeks brought me to\u00a0a place where just about all I could do was cry, \u201cHelp!\u201d I thought about crying, \u201cUncle!\u201d then went with help<\/em> as the more Biblical approach.<\/p>\n

One reason I had gone dark for two weeks here at Patheos was that I experienced\u00a0a back injury that took me off my feet and out of action for several days. Those of you who\u2019ve suffered through back pain know the drill. When you hurt your back, suddenly the most mundane tasks become monumental efforts. For me, reaching down a mere six inches became grueling agony. Soon walking became unbearable. And sitting in front of a keyboard for any length of time? Not happening.<\/p>\n

So I had time to think. And brood. And complain.<\/p>\n

Then think some more before asking for help.<\/p>\n

God Helps Those Who Ask for It<\/h4>\n

I thought of how Jesus seemed to enjoy healing and helping those who had the courage to admit their need. He seemed drawn to those who cried, \u201cHelp!\u201d He seemed moved to do mighty things for those who were in over their heads \u2014 and knew it. \u201cThe Lord is near to all those who call upon Him\u2026.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

I thought of how how the psalmist says that God is our strength (Ps. 46:1<\/a>), the source of our ability to move forward in the face of extreme difficulty.<\/p>\n

I thought of the Scriptural claims that God\u2019s strength is made complete through our weakness<\/a>. And, boy, was I at a place of weakness. \u00a0But I also pondered just how uncomfortable that admission made me feel. I didn\u2019t like feeling weak and helpless.\u00a0I didn\u2019t like having to ask for help to do the simplest of tasks. Even though I know we\u2019ve all been there and will be again.<\/p>\n

My friend Hugh Hewitt put it best in In, But Not Of Revised & Updated: A Guide to Christian Ambition and the Desire to Influence the World<\/a>\"\":<\/p>\n

Someone nursed you, clothed you, kept you safe. Not everyone can say that. Millions die before they draw a breath. Millions more before the age of five. Millions more are beaten, abused, famished, and diseased.<\/p>\n

Someone taught you to read, gave you music, showed you a sport.<\/p>\n

Someone inspired you to learn, told you about God, introduced you to your spouse, granted you an interview, gave you a job.<\/p>\n

Someone assisted your dad; someone helped your spouse; someone coached your daughter.<\/p>\n

And someone will bring you a blanket in a hospital room, give you a ride toa \u00a0doctor\u2019s appointemnt, and hold your hand as death approaches.<\/p>\n

Our utter dependance on others is so obvious and so complete that it is as invisible as oxygen and just as necessary.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As I wallowed in my self-pity in fits and spurts,\u00a0 it dawned on me. I don\u2019t like asking for help for anything. By asking for help, I\u2019m admitting that I am deficient, that I am lacking something that only someone else can provide. Frankly, to this proud sinner, such a reminder was quite disturbing. It\u2019s especially frustrating when the brain works fine but the body refuses to cooperate.<\/p>\n

A Benefit of the Gift of Pain<\/h4>\n

I realized then that one benefit from the gift of pain is that we become more willing to ask for and receive help from others.\u00a0 I confess again that I do not like it. I want to be self-sufficient. I want to be the one everyone else turns to when they need help. So I can humbly dispense it \u2014 and then haughtily rest in my quasi-omnipotence.<\/p>\n

But life is a fragile thing. I suspect, that\u2019s by design. It just doesn\u2019t work when we do it alone. At least not for long.<\/p>\n

Faith demands that we intentionally learn to live by the truth that\u00a0we can do nothing apart from Christ. That\u2019s what he says, \u201cApart from me, you can do nothing.\u201d <\/a>Nothing. That has to be the one reality of life I find most disturbing to my fallen ego. But there it is. No wonder so many find the autonomous claims of atheism appealing.<\/p>\n

Running with Hands Wide Open<\/h4>\n

Over the last nine months, God has systematically stripped away many of\u00a0the props that once convinced me\u00a0I was safe and secure. I\u2019m learning more each day that my only security is in Him. He\u2019s continually prying open my fingers, forcing me to let go of everything that I thought was my refuge. And the\u00a0He\u2019s calling me to run.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s as if He\u2019s placed His assignment for me in my open hand \u2014 like a sheet of paper \u2014 and then told me to run with all my might.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever tried running with a piece of paper flat on your hand, you know\u00a0it\u2019s virtually impossible to do. Unless you raise your hand while running so that the paper is facing into the challenging path. Then the force of your motion keeps it in place as\u00a0long as you keep moving forward<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I guess it\u2019s a good thing that\u00a0He lifts those who wait upon Him. Those who choose to walk each day by faith. Those who aren\u2019t afraid to cry, \u201cHelp!\u201d<\/p>\n

I, for one, am glad I\u2019m learning that I do need Somebody. And a\u00a0whole bunch of other somebodies. Well, most of the time I\u2019m glad.<\/p>\n

Has God ever brought you to a plaae where it was obvious that you needed help? How did\u00a0you\u00a0feel about asking for help? Share your story with a comment so we can all grow our faith.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s not a word I like to use often. Maybe you\u2019re different. It seems some people are.\u00a0 They use it all the time. The dreaded word? Help. Or better yet \u2014 Help! I need somebody! The last few weeks brought me to\u00a0a place where just about all I could do was cry, \u201cHelp!\u201d I thought […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1084,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[18,19,26,276,53,264,51],"class_list":["post-1445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-living","tag-christian-living-2","tag-devotional","tag-growth","tag-help","tag-suffering","tag-thankful","tag-thinking"],"yoast_head":"\nHelp! I Need Somebody!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It's not a word I like to use often. Maybe you're different. It seems some people are.\u00a0 They use it all the time. The dreaded word? Help. Or better yet --\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Help! I Need Somebody!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It's not a word I like to use often. Maybe you're different. It seems some people are.\u00a0 They use it all the time. The dreaded word? Help. Or better yet --\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"FaithWalkers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-12-18T17:10:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs\/billintheblank\/files\/2012\/12\/helping-hands-8_17_12-1024x681.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bill Blankschaen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Bill Blankschaen\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/\",\"name\":\"Help! I Need Somebody!\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-12-18T17:10:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2012-12-18T17:10:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/#\/schema\/person\/5560c0a98f542f838152bf4905b03dcb\"},\"description\":\"It's not a word I like to use often. Maybe you're different. It seems some people are.\u00a0 They use it all the time. The dreaded word? Help. Or better yet --\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Help! I Need Somebody!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/\",\"name\":\"FaithWalkers\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/#\/schema\/person\/5560c0a98f542f838152bf4905b03dcb\",\"name\":\"Bill Blankschaen\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50dd3b6d344807f779ec98d51630f161?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50dd3b6d344807f779ec98d51630f161?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Bill Blankschaen\"},\"description\":\"Bill Blankschaen is a writer, author, and speaker who empowers people to live an authentic life with abundant faith. A former pastor, Christian school leader, and master teacher, he is the founder of FaithWalkers (Faithwalkers.com) where he equips Christians to live an authentic life and a blogger on faith and cultural issues at Patheos and TheResurgent.com. He is the author of several books including A Story Worth Telling: Your Field Guide to Living an Authentic Life, What God Wants You to Do Next, The Secret to Explosive Personal Growth, and multiple collaborative books including his latest with co-author Erick Erickson \u2014 You Will Be Made to Care: The War on Faith, Family, and Your Freedom to Believe (Regnery, February 22, 2016). In addition to his own writing and speaking, Bill helps other people and organizations tell their own story in effective ways. He comes alongside authors as a collaborative writer, handcrafts engaging materials as a content creator, and creates an effective brand strategy as a platform developer with his team of creatives and digital technicians. (BillintheBlank.com)\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/FaithWalkersBlog.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/author\/billblankschaen\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Help! I Need Somebody!","description":"It's not a word I like to use often. Maybe you're different. It seems some people are.\u00a0 They use it all the time. The dreaded word? Help. Or better yet --","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Help! I Need Somebody!","og_description":"It's not a word I like to use often. Maybe you're different. It seems some people are.\u00a0 They use it all the time. The dreaded word? Help. Or better yet --","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/","og_site_name":"FaithWalkers","article_published_time":"2012-12-18T17:10:35+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/wp.patheos.com.s3.amazonaws.com\/blogs\/billintheblank\/files\/2012\/12\/helping-hands-8_17_12-1024x681.jpg"}],"author":"Bill Blankschaen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Bill Blankschaen","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/","name":"Help! I Need Somebody!","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/#website"},"datePublished":"2012-12-18T17:10:35+00:00","dateModified":"2012-12-18T17:10:35+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/#\/schema\/person\/5560c0a98f542f838152bf4905b03dcb"},"description":"It's not a word I like to use often. Maybe you're different. It seems some people are.\u00a0 They use it all the time. The dreaded word? Help. Or better yet --","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/2012\/12\/help-i-need-somebody\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Help! I Need Somebody!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/","name":"FaithWalkers","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/#\/schema\/person\/5560c0a98f542f838152bf4905b03dcb","name":"Bill Blankschaen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50dd3b6d344807f779ec98d51630f161?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50dd3b6d344807f779ec98d51630f161?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Bill Blankschaen"},"description":"Bill Blankschaen is a writer, author, and speaker who empowers people to live an authentic life with abundant faith. A former pastor, Christian school leader, and master teacher, he is the founder of FaithWalkers (Faithwalkers.com) where he equips Christians to live an authentic life and a blogger on faith and cultural issues at Patheos and TheResurgent.com. He is the author of several books including A Story Worth Telling: Your Field Guide to Living an Authentic Life, What God Wants You to Do Next, The Secret to Explosive Personal Growth, and multiple collaborative books including his latest with co-author Erick Erickson \u2014 You Will Be Made to Care: The War on Faith, Family, and Your Freedom to Believe (Regnery, February 22, 2016). In addition to his own writing and speaking, Bill helps other people and organizations tell their own story in effective ways. He comes alongside authors as a collaborative writer, handcrafts engaging materials as a content creator, and creates an effective brand strategy as a platform developer with his team of creatives and digital technicians. (BillintheBlank.com)","sameAs":["http:\/\/FaithWalkersBlog.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/author\/billblankschaen\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1084"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1445"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1445\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/faithwalkers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}