Asking for Help
September 2, 2010
Excerpt from Philippians 2:25-30
"Remember the ministry to me..." (The Message)
Reflection by William C. Green
It's better to give than receive but the best givers are good receivers. Otherwise giving is one-sided and leads to resentment. We act as though others need us more than we need them and miss what they have to give.
My father, generous in his own gifts to the family at Christmas, loved to hand them all out before opening any of his own presents. When he got to the gifts given him, he found it hard to express appreciation, as though whatever he received was of less interest than what he had to give. Generously giving, he diminished the happiness of the rest of us. It can be much easier to give than to receive.
Why? Are we afraid of being dependent on others and looking "needy"? Do we really think we're not? What can our help to others mean if we hide an equal need for theirs? Does withholding our need get others off the hook—or us?
Paul was a great giver. He was also a great receiver. Amid adversity in Rome, he did not hide behind his strong faith as though neediness was faithlessness. He knew that but for the help he received from God through others he would have had little to give. He welcomed the "minister to my need," Epaphroditus, sent by a congregation in Greece, before finally sending him home praising the support he had received.
Prayer
Keep me from acting as though I'm not needy, too, God. Amen.
