Unsuccessful Shortcuts

A few days ago, I left a friend’s house in a part of town with which I was not familiar to go to a doctor appointment. I was already late and didn’t have cell service to look up directions so I tried to take what I thought would be a short cut to save time. Unfortunately, those short cuts ended up being dead ends. Instead of getting there earlier, they wasted my time and I was even later than I would have been. Moral of the story, look up directions instead of winging it… So how does this apply to spiritual life?

 

Is Self-Help Enough?

 Our world today is enamored with self-help books. There are countless options for learning how to do or overcome just about everything. It seems to be removing the need to meet in person, take classes, or seek advice/help from someone else. It bears the concept at least of people becoming autonomous, needing help from no one. Some of these options are great to be sure, but is it enough? Is self-help all we need? Can we really solve all of our own problems?

When Feet May Fail

We are taught to be self-sufficient and independent, to stand on our own two feet. What happens when we fall? What do we do when our own two feet are not enough, when they fail? Usually we can get by on our own, but there are times for everyone when we are not enough, when we can’t make it alone. What then?

Strength When We Are Weak

To be honest, this summer has been really hard. The last few weeks, especially, I have felt drawn out and unable to deal with life. I am just too worn out to keep going. I’m sure I’m not the only person to have felt like that either. The problem is that I have been trying to do this on my own. I haven’t been seeking the true source of strength to help me through every bit of life, so all of life is too difficult for me to handle. The Bible talks a great deal about our true source of strength and I will go into that here:

Spiritual 911

911 is the number we call (in the US) when there is an emergency, when we need help, when there is a serious problem that we can’t handle on our own. It is a number for protection, security and even salvation (i.e. from a burning house or a flood). There is a spiritual 911 as well, that is God, and we see that clearly in Psalm 91:1.

Are You Willing to be Needy?

Being needy is generally seen as a bad thing, especially in American culture. We are supposed to be independent, self-sufficient, and strong. We shouldn’t need anyone or anything. Often, when we realize we do need, we deny or hide it. What does the Bible say about being needy? Is it something we should be? Were we made to need anything or anyone?