Tips for the Christian girl

Can I Go To Others?

Can I Go To Others?

Question

Can you ask other people for advice or go to therapy or is that showing dependence on people? Can you share your problems with people?

Answer

There is nothing wrong with that and the Bible encourages us to help one another.

The only problem comes when you go to people first before God. That means your first reaction whenever there is a problem or issue is to talk to your best friends and mentors and that can be wrong. We should always seek God for ourselves, pray to God for ourselves, and seek to understand and build our relationship with God. That's how you'll be so dependent on people that your relationship with God is weak. A relationship grows by the effort you make to communicate. Whenever you have a problem you first go to God, seek Him, and if He can direct you and lead you to a YouTube video, a sermon, a mentor, and a friend to talk to who can help you. That will be God helping you and speaking to you through someone else.

If you're sad and need a friend, talk to your friend. That's good but remember this friend is a human being. They'll get busy. They can't 100 % be there for you all of the time so don't get so attached to them that you start idolising them.

Idolising them looks like you putting them in God's place. A way God speaks to us is through people but the key is to first go to God, pour out your heart to Him and He'll guide you to the right people. Friends will help point you back to scripture and God but they shouldn't be God in your life, they are only tools to help you stay closer to God and grow.

Depending on people is when you barely make any effort of your own to seek God or pray for yourself. You always ask others to pray for you because you doubt God will hear you or you always need people to bible study with you for you to read the word. A relationship is individual.

The Bible encourages us to have godly friendships where we sharpen one another (Proverbs 27:17-20). It also encourages to seek counsel and advice from others (Proverbs 11:14).

God noticed it wasn't good for man to be alone. It's not good for us to live in solitude. We need each other. We need to support one another. You need a fellow sister in Christ who can guide you, strengthen you, and encourage you.

You also need to be able to stand on your two feet and not depend on other people's relationship with God to have your own. At the end of the day, people can come and go but God stays with you forever. He is far more important than the best counselor there is.

-etty