We recently had a delightful, blessed reunion/vacation with our children and their families. The time together was a perfect balance of fellowship in a cabin built to sleep 30 and of outside activities.

On a zip-line outing—Yes, I actually zip lined! That’s an accomplishment for this un-athletic being.—we went down a series of lines. At one point, we had to climb a short distance up a steep hill to get to the next thrill. It had been raining and the slope looked dangerously slippery to me.

As we started up, a son materialized by my side, taking me by the arm to offer support. A grandson immediately appeared at my other arm. My heart swelled with gratitude for their attentiveness, thoughtfulness, and care.

My feet slipped twice in my first three steps. Without their aid, I would probably have fallen on my face. I loved them and the moment!

At the same time, I recoiled. I hated that I was needy. I hated that they came to my aid because I was seen as needy—and my slipping confirmed it. I did not like it. Not at all.

I know. I know. Who better to see me in my time of need?

I know! They showed love and respect, not judgment.

I know. My problem is my pride. Not my neediness.

However, I’m new at this. I’m accustomed to caring for myself and am still learning how to negotiate this stage of life. I don’t like being needy. (Can you tell by this paragraph that my heart is still working to catch up with my mind? I’m still trying to explain away my wrong attitudes.)

A week after it happened, I keep thinking about my mixed, and yet simultaneous, emotions. They seem incompatible, but both were strong. I was overwhelmingly grateful for love and care—care that I hated receiving.

Through my reactions in those brief minutes, the Lord has encouraged me to embrace my new reality.

First, I need to face the fact: I am needy. I’m not so independent as I once was.

No, I’m not facing cancer or anything so serious, but I’m no longer 20-years-old and new challenges confront me.

I don’t want to recoil from the facts or from the perceived reactions of those around me. I want to move forward with grace and joy. I want to embrace my new reality, or rather to embrace the Lord in the midst of it.

In short, I want Jesus Christ to be glorified through me, no matter what my circumstance–even if my condition becomes much worse.

As I contemplate what that entails, I’m grateful that Jesus promised to be with us, even that He will never forsake us (Mt. 28:20, Heb 13:5). That’s encouraging because our grace comes from and through Him.

But, I’m aware that it’s sometimes not enough.

After all, there were 15 other people with me, plus our two guides. Fifteen people who love and care for me. But only two helped me up that slipper slope.

What if they hadn’t volunteered? What if nobody had volunteered? Having someone with you does not automatically guarantee they will help. Would I have humbled myself and asked for help?

The Lord is loving, merciful, and compassionate. We assume that if He is with us, He will help. Often, we witness His help, confirming that He will.

At least sometimes. However, we may be missing out with that assumption.

In Psalm 50:15, we read, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

God wants us to call on Him. He said that when we call, He will deliver us. Calling on Him is not only an acknowledgement of our need. It’s also a recognition that He is our guard, guide, strength, comfort, . . . our answer. Our Savior.

What day do we not need a Savior? We don’t live in a once-and-it’s-done world. We need a Savior every day. Calling on Him acknowledges our neediness and our declares that He is our Savior.

With our pride and stubborn (often unconscious) independence, how often do we press forward up the hill un-aided? How many times have we fallen on our faces when our Savior is with us, waiting for us to call on Him?

We won’t call on Him, unless we know we’re needy. When in trouble or faced with an overwhelming problem, we might think to cry out to God, but do we do it daily? Throughout our days? For our mundane struggles?

Handling life on our own is like digging a swimming pool with a shovel (or a small spoon?) while a large earthmover is waiting at our shoulder.

Who would do such? . . . Apparently me. How ‘bout you?

Life is richer, holding more blessings, when we depend on the Lord. Whether faced with a major problem or in day-to-day life, it would behoove us to call on the Lord.

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them (Ps. 145:18-19). When does God help us?

“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him . . . in truth . . . and He will hear their cry and save them.” He is with and helps us other times, but we need to call on Him.

The truth I have seen through this event is that I am always needy. It isn’t a new reality. I need to have a lifestyle of calling on Him daily, throughout day.

I need to not to recoil at the thought of being needy, but be quick to cry “Help!” That’s reality. But it isn’t new at all. My new reality is that neediness is a good thing if it leads me to depend on the Lord and call out to Him.