Sometimes We Need To Ask For Help

You may feel disconnected from what you have known and even disconnected from the voice of God. There is a solution to that dilemma. The connection you desire is not always one you can make on your own. At some point in our lives, all of us will need to ask for help.

Yesterday, after a 4-hour drive to Salem, Oregon and after taping two TV programs for Elijah Streams, I was one tired guy. I got to my hotel room after dinner and fell asleep early in the evening. At 3:00 AM, I was awake and decided to start writing, but the Internet access to my room was experiencing a problem, so I called technical support. After 30 minutes of working with a technician, I was finally able to access my online resources.

The man helping me was both patient and professional. Never once did he lose his cool. He kept working with me until a connection was made. At the end of our call, I complimented him. I didn’t let him know he would be the subject of this morning’s word or that his demeanor was so exceptional that it would displace what I had originally planned to write. I thanked him for his professional patience along with several words of personal encouragement and then we parted ways. He went on to help other Internet-challenged people and I went to my computer keyboard to write these words.

Disconnection is not just a problem with the Internet. It happens in friendships, marriages, between parents and children and in crowded church sanctuaries. It can also happen in our relationship with God. If you are feeling disconnected on any level you need to tell someone and ask for help. Being alone and disconnected will leave you out of the stream of your calling and in a worst-case scenario, in a place of emotional and spiritual vulnerability. 

What made the technician so remarkable was his professionalism seasoned with patience.  He never once became irritated when I asked questions during our phone call. He simply helped me reconnect. There are people in our communities of faith, like the technician, who are ready to help us make a connection in whatever manner of disconnect we might be experiencing. This word is coming to you because I sought someone's help for a non-spiritual issue, but the principle is the same. The connection we want so desperately is many times waiting for us on the other side of our willingness to ask for help.