“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7
We all have those aha moments when it comes to God.
Moments when we are blessed with clarity. We see glimpses of how God is truly behind everything, sometimes guiding us through situations, sometimes repairing what’s been damaged, but always present.
Those occasions remind us how important we are to Him, how close He stays to us, how He’s not just everywhere, but He’s been everywhere we’ve been. He knows everything. He sees everything.
Now, how often do we leave those aha moments behind and go right back to trying to do everything on our own?
When I was younger, and trying to prove I could make it as a sales person, I used to waste time over-preparing for difficult meetings (i.e. sales calls and presentations). I would try to anticipate and practice my responses to any potential hard questions and objections. I fancied myself clever for thinking ahead, like in chess.
Did it ever help?
No. In hindsight, I was too focused on the differences between my “opponents” and myself.
I stopped wasting my time and energy when, one day, I had an aha moment and realized I was not attending those meetings by myself. If God was everywhere and knew all things, then He could join me in my appointments and on all my sales calls. I just had to remember Him. I had to eat a little humble pie and admit I wasn’t nearly as clever as I acted. I had to start asking for His help all the time, not just in moments of crisis.
These days, most meetings are easy and sales calls are nothing but fun, even when I don’t make the sale. I spend my time looking for “connections” and let God handle the difficulties. Instead of opponents, I now search for friends.
In my mind, I like to create simplistic visuals to help me understand complex things. I started imagining God as a doorman, always ready with a smile to open the right door for me on cue. I know this image runs the risk of trivializing God, making Him out to be less than He is, but very often it’s worked for me.
Over time this improved approach to the work day has paid huge dividends, reduced stress and opened my eyes further to the wonders of God’s ways. I do my part and God does His.
I recommend praying today with expectation in God’s partnership and providence. In return, He will do for you what He’s done for me many times: open new doors and show you just what you are looking for.
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John C Connell 
7 responses to “#35 Are You Afraid to Ask for Help?”
[…] #35 Are You Afraid to Ask for Help? […]
Strange that I should find your message today. I always will ask for help for others, but somehow don’t very often ask for myself.
My life has changed so much & I’m not sure how to ask for me.
Thanks for your message.
Thank you Barbara!
Hi John,
Just wanted to let you know that your writing in truly inspiring! You are so talented and God is using you. Hope your family and career is going fantastic!
Rebecca, you have no idea how encouraging (and needed) your kind words are – thank you! God bless you and your family.
Very inspiring, John! You are so right. We need to believe that God is with us and will help us every step of the way and relieve us of all that excess stress…
Thank you Wanda!