A sign of true strength.

In this week's meeting, we tackled a popular culture of those who are of the faith - suffering in silence. Many think that confessing weakness and seeking for help is a sign of weakness, so they tend to keep problems to themselves and wrestle with them on their own. But, what has the Lord Jesus taught us?

Blessed are the poor in spirit

Poverty denotes dependence. When you are poor, you are not able to cope with your needs on your own. The poor need other people to help them survive. A person who is poor in spirit is not self-sufficient. She asks for help when things get too overwhelming for her. It is this poverty in spirit that leads us to depend on God and on the help of those who are our spiritual leaders. We gave a few examples of situations in which you should ask for help.

When to ask for help

• When you are heavily tempted to do what is wrong and are not coping with that temptation.

• When you are having marital problems and are losing your temper with your husband and your children and you don't know how to turn that situation around.

• When someone has hurt you very deeply and you are not able to move past it. 

• When you are jealous of others and can't shake off the jealousy.

These are but a few examples. There are many more. Fact is, if you have been battling a bad situation for a long time and it isn't improving or going away, you need help. Don't waste time fighting this battle by yourself. 

Even the strongest man who lived in this earth asked for help. When things got too much for the Lord Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, He cried out saying, "Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." (Luke 22:42) 

Asking for help is a sign of true strength. It shows an unwillingness to be defeated by a problem.

What has been bothering you? Let us help you before it's too late! To speak to one of our advisers, contact us via rahab@uckg.org or call our 24-hour Helpline on +44 (0)20 7686-6000.