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Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Mandy Wichert. My favorite ice cream is chocolate chip cookie dough and I believe, if you aren’t learning you aren’t living. Today we’re looking at saying yes and the importance lending a hand.
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What I Learned Yesterday:
A friend off mine, who is a single mom, recently went out of town on a business trip for a couple of evenings. She has two young children, so she made arrangements for someone to look after them while she was away for this trip as well as another pending trip, and proceeded on her way. Sometime late in the afternoon of her first evening away, she got a disturbing text message from her caretaker hinting that the responsibility of caring for her children was too great. She panicked and was totally thrown off course.
She called a friend right away, and was relieved to find that this friend was willing and ready to spring into action to create a plan to make sure that her children were well-cared for and that the caretaker had all that she needed to stay the course until their mother’s return. She also contacted me along with a few other friends to assist as needed and the kids were well taken care of and shielded from the entire incident. My friend has not got family support close at hand and in circumstances it truly takes her friends banding together to form a makeshift village. I’m assuming you are familiar with the phrase “It takes a village” but in case you are not, it is an African proverb, which reflects that although a child belongs to his or her parents, it takes the support of many to bring that child up in the world.
Did saying yes to this circumstance create a frenzy at my own home for a few brief minutes? Yes, but knowing that I was helping my friend in a difficult situation when she was hundreds of miles away, and providing comfort to both her and her children was more than enough reason to help. Much like you have to say no to many requests that don’t align with your direction in life or with your own family’s needs, sometimes you will find that it is important to say “yes”. Yes may not always be the easy answer or the most convenient for you, but in order to help those around you with their needs, and to make sure that things are being taken care of, a yes from you along with follow-through can make a world of difference to someone.
I’ve been on the receiving end of this as well. A couple of weeks ago, one of my little ones caught a terrible stomach bug. Neither of us had much sleep over the course of the night and I was doing all I could to keep my house sterilized and to keep the illness contained so that it would not spread to my other kids. My house was on lock-down, understandably, and when this news got to my friends, within minutes, I had one friend brining over popsicles, Gatorade and hand sanitizer and another offering to bring over Chicken noodle soup for our family’s dinner that night. I feel so blessed to have friends like these in my life who can recognize a need, even unstated, and offer me aide. Being on the receiving end made me really appreciate how much my help to others must also be valued.
Here’s What I Learned:
In the same way that we have to protect our time investments by saying no to obligations that don’t align with our course, occasionally we must also say yes. Sometimes it takes a village of people banding together to help make something go smoothly or just to get something done. If everyone says no, then there is no one left to help. I’ve definitely had seasons where I’ve taken on too many things nd was forced to simplify my life in order to preserve my family, my marriage and my sanity. But, I have also had seasons when I was able to pour more into others and assist people more. Recognizing other’s needs comes naturally to me, so I’ve had to learn a fine balance between “bearing my friend’s burdens” alongside them versus taking the whole load on my own shoulders.
There is something to be said about choosing those you surround yourself with wisely. There will be occasions where our help, assistance or expertise is needed. Times when our skill sets or abilities are called into action when it is not convenient or simple. We can’t always say yes, but we should at least be willing to consider. Is the task something you could complete without too much burden to yourself or your family? Are you in a season when you are able to spend more time pouring into others? If so, I encourage you to do so when you’re able. Build your village and when you need it, it will hopefully, also be there some day to support you.
I’m Mandy Wichert, and this has been, “Stuff I Learned Yesterday”.
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