Have you ever wondered why some people seem slow to ask for help?
It might be that their struggles are hidden, it might be that their suffering is well known, but, for some reason, they don’t reach out for prayer or care. Maybe they’re battling an addiction, but only tell you about the temptations after they’ve given in. Maybe their marriage is on the rocks, but they don’t admit the strife. Or they’re in debt, but only seek counsel after the bailiffs have been round. Sometimes it seems as if people are not being responsible in their pain. Frustration can easily build, but if we understand their reluctance a little more, the Lord’s call to compassion can be easier to share.
It needs to be said that wilful disobedience to pursue what is best is, of course, a factor for all of us. Everyone can stubbornly resist the call to turn to the Lord and, like the prodigal of Luke 15, sit in their metaphorical pigsty until they repent and return to their wonderful home. But, for many people, a reluctance to ask for help is not a just matter of sin, but a matter of fear. What is there to be scared of? Five big areas crop up time after time:
