The other day I went to a gas station and waited in a very long line because the price of gas there was very low. When it was finally my turn, I tried to insert my card for payment, but the entryway seemed blocked. I thought it was strange because I had just inserted the membership card required, prior to inputting the payment card. I tried, and tried, but nothing. It felt like I tried for at least an hour, but in reality, it was probably five minutes or so. At times I can be strong-willed, and there was no way I was going to walk over to the small office and have all those people sitting in the cars behind me waiting their turn stare me down, trying to figure out what was taking me so long. To make matters worse, they were probably already laughing at me as they watched me stretch the gas hose to its max, having pulled up with the gas filler cap on the wrong side, so I kept trying.
After trying for another few minutes, I finally took the dreaded walk of shame, as some may call it, and found a young man inside the office. I told him that the machine wasn’t working and asked if he could help me. He smiled and said, “Of course!” He walked over with me to the gas pump, asked me for my card, and almost immediately said, “Did you see this card stuck on the back?” What! How did I miss that? These two cards were stuck together so perfectly, that I completely missed another store’s discount card stuck on the back. I thanked the young man, and he kindly said, “You are welcome,” smiled and left.
Immediately, I wondered how many of us struggle in life and even through this pandemic alone, because we are too embarrassed to ask for help. Are you in need of some kind of help today? You’ve heard us say during our online service from week to week, “Please reach out if you need help,” and some of you have.
Part of the difficulty of asking for help, one expert says, is the fear of “surrendering control to someone else,” since we are “hardwired” to do things on our own, and also, the fear of feeling ashamed by being labeled as needy, since by asking for help we are not simply saying help me, but rather, I have a problem. In a series of 6 studies done, it was reported that 50% of people needing help will not ask for fear of hearing the word no. Growing up, my mother always said, “You must always ask for help; the worst that can happen is you will be told no.” And yes, of course, as you might have guessed it, I did not tell my mother about my gas station experience.
Years ago, in an interview, one song writer and artist with a very popular song, titled “Help,” stated that he was “subconsciously” crying out for help with this song, given the overwhelming life he was living at the moment. The song says, “Help me if you can. I’m feeling down, and I do appreciate you being around.” Do you need help as the song says, “getting your feet back on the ground?”
In the Bible, we see several times when Jesus Himself asked for help. In Gethsemane, Jesus not only asked the Father for help, but he also asked help of Peter, James and John, when He was feeling deeply distressed, as He prepared to go to the cross to die for our sins (see Mark 14). Today I want to encourage you to ask for help if you need it. Your Sligo Church Family is here to help. Maybe you need help with a gas card, a supermarket card, a meal, advice or with prayer; we are here to help you if we can. Many times, I needed help, way beyond the gas station experience, and God always found a way to come through, even when I had been told no. May God bless you, and may you know that in the same way this young man at the gas station was extremely kind and helpful when I needed help, God will provide someone to help you too. Just ask!