A Lesson In Being Humble

It is now two days after my surgery.  Thankfully, my initial recovery time in the hospital went well and I was able to be discharged yesterday in the late afternoon.  While I am enjoying being home to recover, it is definitely a different experience when I have to force myself to take it easy.  It is very unlike me to relax, but this is forcing me to learn the art of resting and relaxing.  

While I am taking a break, our friends and family are not.  We have had so many offers for help of all kinds, it can seem overwhelming at times.  We are so blessed to be surrounded by people that are so willing to help, but my husband and I are not used to being on the receiving end of help.  While we are quick to jump in and help others whenever we see a need arise, we have always been pretty self-sufficient and we actually prefer it that way. 

 It is very humbling when you realize that what someone is offering is just what you need, and you agree to the help.  It is so much easier to let our own pride stand in the way sometimes.  When our pastor offered for people within the church to provide some meals for us for the first week or so, neither my husband or I were very agreeable.  Finally, Jeremy answered him with a straight-forward answer.  "We aren't one's to ask for help.  We just figure out a way to do it ourselves.  That's why Jenna bought a lot of easy meals and freezer foods for me to make while she was recovering."  Our pastor, who's wive had recently had surgery also, replied that they did it after her surgery and it made things much easier for him so maybe we could consider even a few meals being delivered.  We finally agreed and realized that the ladies at the church would be more than willing to do this for us, so we shouldn't feel like we are burdening them.

As I sat alone in the hospital yesterday for a bit, I thought back to a speaker I had heard once at a women's conference.  She had to have an emergency operation that left her unable to do much around her home for quite some time.  She spoke about similar feelings towards asking for help, or even accepting the help that was offered to her.  She then continued on with some insight she had.  One day during her devotional time, she was reading a passage about God's blessings in our lives for being obedient to what he is commanding us to do.  She said in those few moments, she realized that those offers for help were other women following God's leading in their lives and she didn't want her pride to stand in the way of them receiving blessings from God for their obedience.  She said that was the day that she finally was open to having other's come into her home and help her, whether it was with meals, cleaning, child-care, or any other random needs that came up.  She was amazed once she opened herself up to allowing others to do things for her, how much easier her recovery time went from that point on.

I, like her, don't want to stand in the way of other's being blessed by God for doing what he is calling them to do.  Therefore, it is time for me to swallow my pride, and start accepting offers for help.  The next time someone calls to ask if there is anything they can do for me, I will try to be honest with anything I need done at that time.  Even if there isn't anything I need at the time, I have to be open to the idea of calling them later if something doesn't come up since they have already shown their willingness to help.

Will you join me in praying for me to learn to be more humble through this experience?  Do you have any personal experiences with this you'd like to share?  I'd love to hear about your own journey to becoming more humble and how you overcame your prideful nature.