Concerning the Gracious Acceptation of Assistance

(Sorry about the high-flutin' title of this post, I've been around seminary guys too much lately.)

I'm writing with an observation today and a question to the 'Fury faithful as well.

My observation is this: I find it much easier, in my everyday life, to lend a hand than to accept some help.

Over the past few weeks at the Mac Grill, I've been struck with this reality, and it's got me thinking about the true nature of humility. Certainly humility involves much life-laying down in the form of helping someone else even when it is inconvenient to do so. After all, isn't that what the story of the Good Samaritan is all about? I think so.

But there's also this side of humility that must admit a need for help. It's like my unwillingness to ask for or even accept help from someone else while I'm secretly patting myself on the back for the "selfless" helping hand I just lent to another.

"Can you help me run this food, Jay?" Of course I will [I'm a great guy]. "Can I give you a hand with that, Jay?" No, it won't be necessary [I'm a self-sufficient guy].

But God's grace is a grace that calls us to admit up-front that we are totally incapable to please God let alone draw a breath without the abundant, omnipotent love and grace of God in Christ Jesus. His grace calls us to admit our weakness, because it's in that weakness that His love is perfected.

So, I want to be known as a person that is not only willing to help others out of love and the grace of the Lord extended through me, I also want to be known as a person who, at work and anywhere else, is not too proud to ask for help or give someone else an opportunity to extend grace toward me. After all, I'm not the only conduit of God's grace, am I?

My question is this: How do we get better at accepting help from others? I want to know how you, my brothers and sisters, fight for humility in a world full of self-sufficient and self-loving people (among whom we are foremost).