Then I Will Do it Myself
I have been thinking about the story of the Little Red Hen lately. Remember that one? This Hen wants to make some bread – so she needs to plant some wheat, harvest it and make the bread. Along the way she asks all of her friends to help her – and none of them want to take the time to do it - so she does it herself. At the end – of course they all want to eat the bread but she won’t share it because she did the work all by herself.
I wonder how many of us have lived lives like the Little Red Hen. We have tried asking for help with things. We have been open and vulnerable with ourselves – only to be shot down. After awhile – the pain of rejection becomes too much- so rather than risk getting shot down again – we adopt the attitude of “then I will do it myself.”
Who can blame us really? This is what we have been taught by our families and our relationships through out our lives. Not very many people are willing to risk putting themselves out there any more. It is looked upon as a good thing to be independent and not needing anyone. There is strength in never needing to ask anyone for help.
What lies we have been fed. There is nowhere in which Jesus tells us to do life all by ourselves. Actually – He tells us to do the opposite. He tells us to share our lives with Him and to cast our burdens and cares on Him. He wants to walk with us and help us and guide us. He wants us to feel loved and cared for…and not to worry about all of the little problems that we have to work out. We don’t have to do it alone.
He also tells us to do life with others. Jesus did not live in isolation from others. He let others walk with Him. He told his friends when He was hurting and sad. He invited them in to His thoughts and feelings. He invited them literally to drop everything and walk with Him- because He knew that He needed to live in community. They helped each other.
So why do we have to do it all by ourselves? Why are we so afraid to let others in? Why do we associate strength with autonomy?
I believe God created us to be just the opposite of alone. He created us to be with. He created us to share our strengths and weaknesses with each other and to help each other through hard times. He knew we could learn from each other. Because one of the dangers of living life alone is that you start to believe your own press. You don’t have the mirror of others speaking into your life. You only see your own perspective – which can be colored by your circumstances and brokenness.
So what do we do when we live in a society such as ours? When people look out for themselves first? When we are afraid to reach out and be rejected again?
We do the only thing we can do. We keep trying. We keep reaching out and asking for help. We keep sharing our weaknesses and brokenness with each other. Because someone has to start the process of change. And that person can be you. You can influence your friends by showing them the value of interdependence. And yes- it will be painful and it will not come naturally. But you are worth it. You are worth letting others care for you. You are worth helping. You don’t have to do it alone. We don’t have to end up like the Little Red Hen – alone in our house feasting on bread we have made ourselves. We can invite others to eat with us – and maybe even eventually they will help with the harvest if we give them a chance.
I wonder how many of us have lived lives like the Little Red Hen. We have tried asking for help with things. We have been open and vulnerable with ourselves – only to be shot down. After awhile – the pain of rejection becomes too much- so rather than risk getting shot down again – we adopt the attitude of “then I will do it myself.”
Who can blame us really? This is what we have been taught by our families and our relationships through out our lives. Not very many people are willing to risk putting themselves out there any more. It is looked upon as a good thing to be independent and not needing anyone. There is strength in never needing to ask anyone for help.
What lies we have been fed. There is nowhere in which Jesus tells us to do life all by ourselves. Actually – He tells us to do the opposite. He tells us to share our lives with Him and to cast our burdens and cares on Him. He wants to walk with us and help us and guide us. He wants us to feel loved and cared for…and not to worry about all of the little problems that we have to work out. We don’t have to do it alone.
He also tells us to do life with others. Jesus did not live in isolation from others. He let others walk with Him. He told his friends when He was hurting and sad. He invited them in to His thoughts and feelings. He invited them literally to drop everything and walk with Him- because He knew that He needed to live in community. They helped each other.
So why do we have to do it all by ourselves? Why are we so afraid to let others in? Why do we associate strength with autonomy?
I believe God created us to be just the opposite of alone. He created us to be with. He created us to share our strengths and weaknesses with each other and to help each other through hard times. He knew we could learn from each other. Because one of the dangers of living life alone is that you start to believe your own press. You don’t have the mirror of others speaking into your life. You only see your own perspective – which can be colored by your circumstances and brokenness.
So what do we do when we live in a society such as ours? When people look out for themselves first? When we are afraid to reach out and be rejected again?
We do the only thing we can do. We keep trying. We keep reaching out and asking for help. We keep sharing our weaknesses and brokenness with each other. Because someone has to start the process of change. And that person can be you. You can influence your friends by showing them the value of interdependence. And yes- it will be painful and it will not come naturally. But you are worth it. You are worth letting others care for you. You are worth helping. You don’t have to do it alone. We don’t have to end up like the Little Red Hen – alone in our house feasting on bread we have made ourselves. We can invite others to eat with us – and maybe even eventually they will help with the harvest if we give them a chance.
posted by Amie at 4:17 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home