Can help & need stop being a 4 letter word?

My whole life I have been an “I can do it myself person” I don’t need ….. (Need to me has always been a 4 letter word) Maybe it's because I was a single career women or lived by myself for 11 before marriage. But through the last almost 7 years of marriage –I have gotten better at it. I still don’t like the word NEED.

Recently on a trip to Chicago, a friend had recommended I read the Gifts of Imperfection by Brene’ Brown (which is amazing and I highly recommend it) Much of the beginning is about being vulnerable and opening up and asking others for help. I distinctly remember –thinking yeah well not me – I can manage just fine on my own.

Also not well thought out for this trip was that I was still nursing Sam Henry and would be gone from him for almost 3 full days. For some insane reason, I decided I needed the break and the rest and took NO and I am mean NONE, breastfeeding supplies. Not one pump, not one bottle, not a nursing bra –nothing. Like I could just pretend for 3 full days that my body wasn’t continually making milk for a 20 lb. baby. Like my body would just forget to make milk.

By the first break from the conference, after I had last fed the fat baby almost 24 hours before, I realized I was in big trouble. Not just -I might leak through my shirt and be embarrassed trouble but a - I am going to be in serious pain –not make it through –starting to run fever trouble. Let me be clear – I am not a total idiot –I usually can make it through a day or even longer without pumping or feeding with nary a twinge. I am not a big milk machine.

But I firmly believe God was testing me- so you don’t think you need anyone, you think you can manage this all on your own, well let’s see about that. Also to complicate matters, I was in Chicago with no transportation besides a timed bus route to my hotel and back to Willow Creek. And I wasn’t downtown Chicago where I could pop out and find a CVS – the campus of Willow Creek is in a suburb and sits back several miles from the main drag.

At that break, I sat on this beautiful stone edge of a fountain while everyone milled around and made phone calls and I tried not to cry – (crying while I have done a lot lately is also something on my list I am not a fan of). I looked around at all the wonderful staff standing about waiting to be helpful and literally felt God push me off that ledge toward a wonderful woman named Karen. I started off saying, I am a nursing mama... before I could say more she ushered me into this beautiful room with soft rockers and dim lighting and told me I could use it as much as I needed.

Here is where I broke down and confessed my stupidity – yes I am nursing mama but I didn’t bring a thing and I didn’t know how to go anywhere and I didn’t know what to do next. Karen with a bright welcoming smile said, “What do you need?” I said I guess a ride to a store. She said, “No what supplies do you need?” As I told her what I thought I would need to get by for the few days, hand pump, bottles, Advil, etc... She hugged me hard and said –I will text you when I return. I went back to my conference –AMAZED. She helped me. With not one eye roll, not an ounce of condemnation, no well that was dumb planning on your part, no let me call you a cab, just a simple “What do you need?”

Less than an hour later, I returned to that beautifully appointed nursing mother’s room with a tidy gift bag with a hand pump, bottle, Advil and water. She wouldn’t even let me pay her. I have never been so grateful for another person’s kindness in my whole life. Her actions completely changed my entire trip.

In telling that story to a friend when I got back –still in amazement of her actions, her kindness and her gift. She said, “You would have done the same thing. Why were you so scared to ask?” She is right – when we are called upon as women – we step up, we are there for each other, we drop what we are doing and do all we can to fix the situation. If I had been in Karen’s shoes, yes I would have run to the store and helped a girl out –but it took everything inside of me to ask.

Why is that? Why are we so hesitate to be vulnerable to admit we – (GASP) NEED – help? For that one time we were let down, for that one time we were vulnerable and were hurt… it is going to happen. And no I am not advocating –crying on everyone’s shoulder in the coffee shop but it’s time we are REAL with each other.

There is a new song that says and I am paraphrasing – Things aren’t fine and I am not ok - sometimes we need to find that one women or mama or friend –that instead of saying “I am fine” with that fake empty smile – we can say – I am not ok –but here is one thing that can make it better.

Try it this week – I hope it makes a difference.