it's ok to be needy

by Alanna

    I'm in the process of discovering that it's ok to be needy. It is good to be honest. Humility is of much more value than pride. For too long I've believed the lie that strength comes from independence. Or maybe I've valued dependence on God, but never understood how to translate that to people.  I could blame America, this culture that places such high value on independence. But in the end it's me that has bought this lie.
    "Bear one another's burdens" says Paul in Galatians.  But how can we expect to bear someone else's burden, when we selfishly hide our own? The truth is that spiritual warfare is much easier fought when you're not off battling on your own. We're supposed to gird ourselves with truth in this battle (Ephesians 6), and sometimes we need to hear that truth from another. Isn't this what the body of Christ is for?
     I'm learning that it's good in a relationship to ask for what you want. We are people created by God with needs- emotional, physical, and spiritual. And the beauty of the body of Christ, the beauty of relationships, is that we are to rely on each other. Depend on each other. It is only pride that keeps us silent and makes us "toughen up".
      Of course there's a difference between being needy and being a complainer. All gifts are given by a good Father, and He should be thanked and praised, no matter how small or big we perceive the gifts to be. I want to be thankful, to rejoice. I need God's help- to meet others' needs in love, and to humbly admit that I am utterly dependent- on Him, and on His family.