A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. -- Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NLT)
Being open and vulnerable is not easy for me. When asked how I’m doing, it’s more natural for me to respond with, “I’m great, blessed, and wonderful!” rather than the truth, even if I’m having a rough time. I think most people would say this is true for them as well. We would rather do anything else than be honest and say we don’t have everything under control. Admitting our weaknesses and asking for help is not easy.
If we look deeper, what keeps us from asking for help is actually good, old-fashioned pride. Our culture glorifies independence, but God created us to be dependent on Him and others too. Asking for help isn’t just biblical, it’s beneficial! In Ecclesiastes 4, Solomon tells the story of a man who toiled under the sun and was depressed because all his work was meaningless. He goes on to explain that when you have a friend by your side, everything changes: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10). God’s Word makes it clear that finding friends and being honest about your struggles sets you up for greater success than you would have alone.
I saw this play out in my own life when I trained for my second marathon. I trained alone for my first one, and it took me five and a half grueling, horrible hours to finish. For my second marathon, I trained with a group of friends and finished one whole hour faster! In our group, we encouraged each other to do things we couldn’t do alone, and all of us achieved greater things because we worked together.
You can go to church every weekend and not let anyone know you. You can fake your answers when people ask how you’re doing and not have anyone to help you when you fall. Or you can admit that you need help. You can get in a Gateway Group and overcome things you thought would never go away. Let people know you, because when you do, you will gain so much more than you realize.
Prayer
Lord, thank You that we don’t have to walk alone. I lay down my pride today and ask that You would help me get connected with other believers who I can be honest with and receive encouragement from. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
For Further Study
- Proverbs 18:24; Ecclesiastes 4:7–12; Colossians 3:12–14; 1 Corinthians 15:33
-- Chelsea Seaton
Taken from Created to Be, a Gateway devotion.
