Rally Cap part 3
Even cheerleaders need cheerleaders. That's my thought for today. Because while Jesus spoke of being nourished by doing His Father's will--by serving people--it can be exhausting. My personal definition of love talks about giving everything you have and everything you are even though it seems like the more you love the less you are loved. And love isn't about getting a pat on the back. Its not about getting anything. Because love is giving. But when you give, and give, and give and feel like you're pouring yourself into a black hole that just takes, and takes, and takes... it can leave you feeling empty. And that goes back to the self-care I was Ranting about not too long ago. About strengthening yourself in the Lord when the people are speaking about stoning you. But even then, it is not good for man to be alone. Its not good to give and give and give until you burn yourself out. You need people in your life. People to encourage you. To edify you. To love you. They say "God works in mysterious ways." I say that's true... because He works through people. And people are mysterious. So while we've been focusing on putting the rally cap on and cheering on people... today I want to talk about LETTING people cheer US on. I don't think asking for help is a sign of weakness. I think it is a sign of wisdom. Because we can't do it all alone. And I'm just talking about the normal every day aspect of making it from the start of the day to the end of the day. That's hard enough to do on our own. But then when you're going out of your way... going the extra mile... giving maximum effort (everything you are and everything you have)... we need to let people in. We need to let people be a part of things. I know for some of us its hard to trust people. The old saying "If you want something done right you have to do it yourself" is a mantra for a lot of people. But I always say, "I can do anything, but I can't do everything." Its not fair for others to expect too much from us, and its not fair for us to expect too much from ourselves. Give yourself a break. Do what you can do, and don't worry about the rest of it. Learn to say no to people. Learn to let people help you. If someone is willing to help you--and, honestly, that's a rare thing these days--let them. And don't make a huge deal about it. Just thank them and do what needs to be done. But don't reject people who are actually willing to help you. Don't slap someone's hand away. Because they might not reach out again. And then you really WILL be alone. Sometimes we think we're alone when we're not. Sometimes we build walls to protect ourselves, but we really just end up isolating ourselves. Its like we think we're all in this together as long as we're the ones doing the helping. But when someone tries to help us, "No, I got it." Even if you DO got it... reaching out isn't the easiest thing in the world for some people. So if they do... let them help. Let them be involved. Whether you need the help or not, maybe they need TO help. So when you see a rally cap, don't try to be a hero. Take the hand that's reaching out to help you up. You'll be better for it, and maybe they will too.