Can You Help Me?

This summer at family camp, my 2 1/2 year old again climbed to the top bunk.  Kristin and I were nervous every time she was up there.  Several times during the week she had climbed to that same bunk bed, and we had to help her down every time.  


This particular time I asked, "Sweetie, do you want me to help you back down?"

With confidence she replied, "I wanna get down ALL BY MYSELF!"   Without a moment's pause, she followed with a much more humble, "Can you help me?"


Kristin and I laughed at the contrast, and of course, helped her down.


We tend to live our lives in fierce independence.  After all, our society most often values people who are self-sufficient, capable, and successful.  At the same time, our society tends to ignore or look down upon those who cannot do for themselves and always have to ask for help.  Think of your own friendships: to whom are you most often drawn...the strong and successful, or the weak and needy?


Independence is not a bad thing in and of itself.  We should seek to live lives that contribute to the world around us, not drain its resources for ourselves.  


But independence is deadly when we bring it into our relationship with the Lord.  In our relationship with the Lord, we must strive for dependence.  Not "I wanna do it by myself," but "I need You."


In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus talks about this kind of dependence.  Verse 33 tells us, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [the daily needs of life] will be added to you."  We spend so much of our lives chasing after things in the world...even good things that we legitimately need.  But Jesus up-ends our priorities and tells us that dependence on the Lord is the most important priority above any of these other needs.  


Psalm 37:3-7 remind us also of dependence.  Verses 4 and 5 say, "Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act."  


Proverbs 3:5-6 say this: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."


The theme of these verses, and really of the whole of scripture, is that we are to depend fully on the Lord.  It goes against our natural instincts AND against the world around us, and I am finding it to be a lifelong battle to keep a heart of true dependence on Him.  It's not that I don't want to be fully devoted to the Lord, but my independent spirit gets in the way so often.  Yet true joy, true peace, true fruitfulness...these only come when I am fully dependent on the Lord, seeking Him first and foremost above every other thing in life.  


How about you?  How are you doing in expressing your utter dependence on the Lord every moment of every day?  Are you asking Him, "Can You help me?"


May God give us grace to deny ourselves (Luke 9:23) and depend on Him completely!