Asking for Help is NOT Weakness

I personally know many people who have problems similar to mine. There are too many people suffering with depression, anger issues, anxiety of some sort (not necessarily social anxiety like mine), Obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc. But the thing that sincerely worries me is that some people just won’t accept that they have a problem.

Accept it. Accept it now. You need help. It’s OK to ask for help. To ask for help is a sign of courage and strength. Frankly, it is unwise to do nothing.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, the apostle Paul is speaking about the Lord.

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

I love the way Paul worded this principle. We’ve all heard the saying, “Nobody’s perfect.” But have you ever thought about why humans were meant to be this way? I feel that Paul is trying to say that we are given weakness so that we can ask the Lord for help. The Lord wants to guide us, but we have to ask for it and actively seek it. He anxiously yearns for us to turn to Him for aid. So in a way, we should be grateful for our trials and weaknesses because they are the reason that we learn to rely on the Savior and recognize His power in our lives.

After I started going to therapy, I thought to myself, “Literally everyone I know should try going to therapy at least once in their life. It’s life-changing.” But again, I repeat, most people don’t want to go to therapy to ask for help. JUST DO IT. Seriously. Once you go you’ll see why I so desperately want you to do this.

Our loving Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ do not expect you to get through health issues by yourself. They have provided you with doctors who have the knowledge to help you. Please please PLEASE accept Their divine love and open arms by seeking Their support.

“Behold, I will heal thee.” (2 Kings 20:5)

Recognizing Jesus' Hand in my Storm

I just experienced one of the most overwhelming weeks of my life. Interestingly, it’s also been one of the most miracle-filled weeks that I can remember.

Because I have social anxiety, it can be hard for me to be around people but I realize that connecting with people is so key to finding happiness and to feel God’s love. I was absolutely able to feel His love for me through many people this week, even though my anxiety was at a very high level. Here are some stories about what happened:

Firstly, I am taking a class to learn how to be a seminary teacher*. As part of this class, I signed up to teach early-morning seminary for 3 days this week. On my first day, I was prepared to leave at a reasonably early time but then as I got to my car, I realized that there was ice completely frozen solid on my car. I thought I had an ice-scraper in my car but I did not, so I tried using my student ID card to get the ice off of my car but it did not work. I didn’t have time to think of any other solutions without being late to my first day of teaching. Miraculously, a girl was parked right in front of my car and she was getting the ice off of her car at the same time as I was, at around 6:45 am. This girl was the only other person in the entire parking lot at that early hour. She saw that I needed help, and offered to use her ice-scraper on all of the windows of my car. I was able to make it on time thanks to her.

Second, as you can imagine, teaching in front of lots of people gives me anxiety. One of the teenage girls from this seminary class told me that she really loved my teaching style. She has no idea how much I needed to hear that.

Next, I was able to talk to a friend of mine about my anxiety. He listened and then told me only positive things about myself. The things that he said were astounding to me. He is a very blunt and honest person and the positive things that he told me really gave me confidence because I knew that he was telling the truth and he wasn’t just making them up to make me feel better.

Additionally, another friend of mine told me she was praying for me this week, and that is honestly one of the best things that I could have been told.

One day this week, my music theory teacher decided to read Richard G. Scott’s talk titled “Trust in the Lord,” which is one of my all-time favorite talks and something that I definitely needed to be reminded of this week. It’s crazy that she chose to have us all listen to this talk together as a class instead of doing music theory, but it was a blessing for me for sure, and I know it wasn’t just a coincidence. In his talk, Elder Scott discusses about how we need to get out of our comfort zones in order to grow, and that our trials are evidence that God loves us and knows we are ready to blossom.

I attended stake conference on Saturday and Sunday** and every talk given there seemed to be directed at me.

I know that Heavenly Father sent me these people this week. I am so grateful for their willingness to follow the Spirit and to minister to me at a time of great stress for me. They helped me more than they know. I testify that as you help other people you are on the Lord’s errand, and you provide the calm to their storm.

*Seminary is a class where high-school aged kids go to learn about the scriptures.

**Stake conference is when several congregations (also known as wards) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gather together.