Man Up: Reach Out for Help in Times of Trouble

GPS. Those three letters have changed the way we travel.

Global Positioning Satellite, the little boxes we have on our car that tell us where to go and which road to take as we drive to new places and new areas, have helped men avoid the one thing they hate doing most, asking for directions. We no longer are forced to stop and ask someone how to get where we are going.

GPS devices are so handy and helpful. You would think that every man in the world would be willing to let the GPS guide us wherever we go. However, I recently read a Reuters poll that said 83 percent of men ignore the directions the GPS gives them. They feel they are more capable of finding their own way than a machine connected to the most scientifically advanced satellite systems in the world.

The fact that 83 percent of men ignore their GPS seems odd at first and kind of funny, but it actually says a lot about men. Many men like to go through life in control. They don’t like to ask others for help or rely on other people. They see asking others for help and support as a sign of weakness. The truth is, no man can arrive by himself. We need each other.

I struggle to ask others for help or show others my weakness. Just recently, I went through a real time of struggle. I was unable to sleep; I couldn’t write; I couldn’t get anything accomplished. My sister kept saying how worried she was about me and that I should start talking to some friends and mentors so they could help. Instead of humbling myself, I continued struggling on my own.

I didn’t want others to know I was struggling. I like to be the guy people seek for help, but I don’t really like to ask others to help me. As a result, I sank further and further into whatever was wrong with me.

Eventually I got to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore. My lack of sleep left me totally exhausted and my inability to write left me coming to the end of the month without any progress made for my ministry. I knew I was in trouble, so I broke down and reached out to others for help.

Within hours, I received such tremendous support and prayer from those who I reached out to. One of the men even had a word from God specifically for me that helped me see what was going on. It gave me the insight I needed. Until I humbled myself and depended on others, I couldn’t see the forest through the trees.

The outside perspective got me through the shadows and going in the direction God wanted for me. I was able to break loose of the attack.

Out of this experience, God reminded me once again that no man is an island and we all need each other. I Corinthians 12 tells us that we all belong to the body of Christ, and just as every part of the physical body is needed, we need each other. No man can go through life alone. We need the companionship. We need camaraderie, and we need support.

So I want to encourage you to learn from my mistake. Don’t be afraid to reach out to others in your time of need. Don’t try and handle it all on your own. Don’t fear what others will think when they find out you are not perfect.

Take a chance, be vulnerable, and rely on each other. Just as it is dumb for men to ignore their GPS because they think they know better, it is equally stupid to think we can go through the Christian life on our own, not needing the support of our brothers in Christ.

So the next time you find yourself in a place you see no way out of or have a struggle you can’t seem to break free of, reach out to a brother in Christ.  Only God knows how He can use them to help you.

Click here for the original article at men.ag.org.