One of the greatest needs that you and I have is to feel needed. In fact, there is nothing worse than feeling like you don't belong or are not needed. It is like shopping with my wife for clothes.
As a man, a hunter-gather, I am very goal oriented. So when my wife says that we should go shopping, I am wanting to know what exactly I am looking to find. I want the color, size (by the way, be careful about asking this one), the make, and any other specs that would allow me to quickly find what we are "hunting." But that is just it, she is not "hunting" at all. There really is no one item that she is particularly looking to find. So we just amble through rack after rack of clothes until something strikes her fancy.
Most of the time when it comes to clothes shopping, my help is useless. Over the years, I have learned this and have even tried to accommodate my "hunter" tendencies by searching all the racks for correct sizes and things that might interest her. This has allowed me to go shopping with my wife without feeling totally useless. Despite what you may think, I have a good eye for picking out clothes that will look nice for my wife.
What is more exasperating than shopping with my wife is shopping with my daughter. She is seventeen. That is all I need to say. I have come to the realization that if I like something, more often then not she will hate it. My help (and even my wife's help) is useless. We have had huge disputes trying to pick out clothes for her. It is to the point that I rarely will go with them if we are looking to pick out clothes for my daughter.
Useless, what a horrible feeling. Somewhere deep down inside each us there is a desperate need to feel validated, needed, useful. As a type "A" personality when problems arise, I naturally feel that I can always come up with a solution. So when I come across Psalm 108:12, I am smacked in the face by the fact that we are all useless when it comes to problem solving.
Who better to hear this from than David? He faced it when he faced Goliath. Honestly, I think that this is what he was telling King Saul when he politely refused to wear the Saul's armor. It is the reason that when Goliath, standing nine feet nine inches, cursed at David, that David responded so boldly. He was not really that confident in himself. David had come to an understanding at an early age that when trouble was present, he was useless. Thus, David's prayer in Psalm 108:12, "Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless."
What a great prayer to start every day with!
As a man, a hunter-gather, I am very goal oriented. So when my wife says that we should go shopping, I am wanting to know what exactly I am looking to find. I want the color, size (by the way, be careful about asking this one), the make, and any other specs that would allow me to quickly find what we are "hunting." But that is just it, she is not "hunting" at all. There really is no one item that she is particularly looking to find. So we just amble through rack after rack of clothes until something strikes her fancy.
Most of the time when it comes to clothes shopping, my help is useless. Over the years, I have learned this and have even tried to accommodate my "hunter" tendencies by searching all the racks for correct sizes and things that might interest her. This has allowed me to go shopping with my wife without feeling totally useless. Despite what you may think, I have a good eye for picking out clothes that will look nice for my wife.
What is more exasperating than shopping with my wife is shopping with my daughter. She is seventeen. That is all I need to say. I have come to the realization that if I like something, more often then not she will hate it. My help (and even my wife's help) is useless. We have had huge disputes trying to pick out clothes for her. It is to the point that I rarely will go with them if we are looking to pick out clothes for my daughter.
Useless, what a horrible feeling. Somewhere deep down inside each us there is a desperate need to feel validated, needed, useful. As a type "A" personality when problems arise, I naturally feel that I can always come up with a solution. So when I come across Psalm 108:12, I am smacked in the face by the fact that we are all useless when it comes to problem solving.
Who better to hear this from than David? He faced it when he faced Goliath. Honestly, I think that this is what he was telling King Saul when he politely refused to wear the Saul's armor. It is the reason that when Goliath, standing nine feet nine inches, cursed at David, that David responded so boldly. He was not really that confident in himself. David had come to an understanding at an early age that when trouble was present, he was useless. Thus, David's prayer in Psalm 108:12, "Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless."
What a great prayer to start every day with!
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