Help? Anyone?

How quickly are you willing to ask for help?

Last Saturday, Rachel and I went out geocaching. We had found a trail near our house which wasn't too long (about 1.3 miles one way) which had twelve geocaches along it. We gathered our gear, leashed up the dog, and set out. The first cache we looked for wasn't very far from where we parked. We got to Ground Zero (GZ) and started looking for the cache. We spent about ten minutes looking then decided to try again on the way back. The next cache we decided to do the same thing because there were a lot of other people around when we got near it. The third cache seemed like it was going to be a repeat of the first, but Rachel spotted it after a minute or so. (If she hadn't been there, I would probably still be looking!) The rest of them were much easier and we didn't have too much difficulty finding them.

I spotted the second cache we had initially skipped fairly quickly on our return trek, but it took a while to actually get to it. When we arrived back at the first cache, we started looking again. We had a better idea of what we were looking for since we now knew what the container looked like (it was just like two of the other caches we had found). I also had deduced from the name of the cache where it was to be located, so I didn't think it would take us very long. We spent another twenty minutes looking at every inch of the five trees at GZ, but still could not find it! I really wanted to keep looking on our own, but Rachel and Sonny were ready to go home, so I pulled out my cell phone, called the guy who had placed the cache there and asked him where it was. Even with him telling me right where it was, finding it was still a bit challenging.

This adventure really got me thinking about how often I hesitate asking for help. In geocaching, sometimes I feel like I'm cheating when I ask someone where the cache is, but in life, I am confronted with my own inadequacies every time help is needed. I want to be self-sufficient, not needing anyone's help, and this mindset is largely encouraged by our American society. Spiritually speaking, acknowledging a struggle, failure, or need to someone reveals our imperfection. Because I am aiming for perfection, I don't want people to see me miss!

It was pointed out to me this morning that Integrity isn't so much about being perfect, but it's about acknowledging my imperfections in a way that glorifies God. Integrity is more about admitting when I miss perfection and ask for help than it is actually hitting the mark.With this in mind, my goal is to be more willing to admit to myself and others when I fail. Only then can I get the help that I need.