Read: Romans 12:1-8

In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (v. 5 NIV)

The more people who found out I had cancer, the more offers for help I received. People like to have something they can do for me: meals, chores, driving. For a while I tried to find ways to turn down these offers with creative ways to keep doing everything myself. However, pain and exhaustion are insistent and instructive teachers. The lesson I had to learn was twofold: I needed other people and I was not in control.

In Romans 12, Paul tells us not to think of ourselves more highly than we should. Every person has a God-given gift and should use that gift for the body of Christ. Even when we are most able to do things, we shouldn’t try to do everything ourselves. And if we think we are, we are deluding ourselves. Few of us grow and make all the food we eat, pave the roads we drive, or even take note of the thousand ways we depend on other people every day. It isn’t a matter of “asking” for help when we need it. We always need help.

So eventually, when my sister offered to help weed my garden, I said yes. When my grandson said he would mow the lawn, I said yes. Each time I accepted help I saw that unless I asked for help, these people wouldn’t be able to use their God-given gift. Who can help you today? —Karen Bables

Prayer: Teach me, Lord, to ask for help when I need it.