November 11, 2019
It’s Okay to Ask
Sometimes we might feel like if we can’t do everything ourselves, then we’re not good enough. It can be easy to believe this lie, but we were not designed to do everything on our own.
Heavenly Father has provided us with the support of family, friends, classmates, and countless others to assist us on our journey. As we go through difficult circumstances in our lives, we can rely on precious truths that tell us, “It’s okay to ask for help.”
We have support
Sometimes we hesitate to ask for help because we are afraid of what others may think or don’t want to be a burden. When these feelings come our way, we can learn from the experiences of Joseph Smith.
We can receive strength when we seek support.
While Joseph was in Liberty Jail, he experienced a great deal of emotional and physical hardship. At one point, Joseph asked, “Oh God, where art thou?”1 In response to his earnest plea for help, God reminded Joseph that his afflictions would be a small moment, and taught him another precious truth: “Thy friends do stand by thee.”2
When we face difficult circumstances in our lives, it’s important to remember the loving hands we have around us, earnestly seeking to lift us up in our time of need.
You have the love and support of missionaries, instructors, family, friends, and fellow students!
Help is within our reach
In all things, you have the support of a loving Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. However, President Spencer W. Kimball shared, “God does notice us, and He watches over us. But it is usually through another person that He meets our needs.”3
David Sorenson, from Taylorsville, Utah, experienced the power of friends when he was a student in PathwayConnect. “At first, I tried to keep my personal issues secret and to myself,” David said. “But very quickly, I realized that my classmates weren’t all that different than I was. Everybody came from a different background. There were people that I felt were in similar situations that I was in. It made me really feel at home, like I didn’t have to worry about being judged.”
We too can experience what David felt when it comes to asking for help and reaching out to others. If you don’t know where to start, BYU-Pathway has many resources available to you. A simple conversation with a missionary or someone from your gathering could do wonders. Even just an email to an instructor could lead you in the direction you need.
Sharing our experiences can help us realize others are in similar situations.
Asking for help is being true to yourself
Elder Robert D. Hales spoke about the importance of needing help. He said, “When you attempt to live life’s experiences alone, you are not being true to yourself, nor to your basic mission in life. … The disposition to ask assistance from others with confidence, and to grant it with kindness, should be part of our very nature.”4
Friendships are a very important part of our experience in this life. We need help, and it’s okay to ask for it! Sometimes schoolwork and life at home may pose challenges, but we can find relief as we seek help and find the courage to ask for it.
When have you asked for help? How did it help you? Comment below!
Comments on "It’s Okay to Ask"
Asking for help through prayer always bring peace to my soul.
Last time i just made a post in our gathering whatsApp group. I asked for someone willing to be my English Speaking partner since we’re all learning English and 30 minutes after i ended up with 3 more speaking partners they were also searching for one so i think we need to Ask if we do we’ll surely find an answer.
Thanks for sharing this great example, Amivi! There are always people around us that can help us and that we can help.
I’m really moved by what I read today about “it’s okay to Ask”. I find it difficult to ask for help because it can be humiliating. But from what I had read today, it has given me a new chapter to life… Ask.
Great point, Ebenezer! Asking for help is not a sign of weakness; it shows that we are humble enough to acknowledge that we can’t do it all on our own. Asking for help also gives others an opportunity to serve.
The Monroe program is helpful. The person I spoke with really went beyond what I expected to help me.
Thank you. I’m very inspired.
Wish all questions could be answered but I an sure only the Lord can answer my question. It has to do with Technology and time. Yes a mentor would be ready,even more than willing and friends and family in fact I have a son who is very good in software but my situation is I am far from any of those and what I need is a hands on help to use my phone to upload and submit English assignments in time. Can some one help me from a distance?!
The first day at BYU Gathering, I was new to the program and we were many on that day. It it was difficult for me to log into my eportal. I was nervous to ask but later gain courage to ask a girl who sat close to me, her Name is Lusu. She help me and we are now best of friends. We discuss BUY each time we meet in the chapel on Sundays, at the Gathering, and even in the streets and we help one another. We encourage each other to complete our assignments on time.
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