Why You Need Help Now (And Why It Can’t Wait Till Later)

Imagine someone approaching you in a frazzled, bloodied, unhealthy, dangerous state. As this stranger collapses in front of you, he asks, “Can you please help me?” As he lies unconscious on the ground before you, you step into panic mode.

You dial 911, and you try to do your best to help, but beyond calling for assistance, you don’t know what else to do. You honestly don’t even know what is wrong.

  • Have they been attacked?
  • Were they in a wreck?
  • Where are the actual injuries?

While you await help, you are overwhelmed with concern and fear. When help arrives, it is unfortunately too late. He didn’t make it.

You get information on what happened to the person.

There was an accident.

It was a bad one, but it had been 23 hours before this person approached you for help. This hurt individual just kept hoping it would have gotten better on his own.

The medical personnel give you the worst news in the world: if this person would have asked for help after the accident, he would have made it. But he waited.

The issue that was addressable became unfixable.

All because the person waited too long.

Emotional Injuries That Wait Too Long

As a pastoral counselor, I have never witnessed someone asking for help too early. Unfortunately, quite the opposite is true. Every situation that seems dire enough to ask for assistance probably could have come a little sooner.

  • The marriage that needed help surely would turn around after things weren’t so busy.
  • The anxiety wouldn’t get out of control because these coping mechanisms work every once in a while.
  • That troubled child was just going through a “phase.”
  • The emotional baggage would someday be forgotten given enough time.

And they wait. And wait. And wait.

Sometimes they wait for 23 years.

They meet with a counselor, pastor, mentor, or friend. They are in desperate need. They’ve been bleeding emotionally for a long time. Collapsing emotionally, they ask for help, but the situation is on life support.

“Can you help us?”

“Yes. But how much time do you have? Because you didn’t get here overnight, and you’re not going to get better overnight. 23 years of this pain is going to take more than 23 minutes of talking.”

How Are You Feeling?

So, how are you feeling? No, seriously. How are you doing right now?

Do you feel healthy? Emotionally well? Spiritually at peace?

It might not be awful, but which way is it trending?

The hurt that you have, is it getting better or worse? Are you addressing it or stuffing it?

I am pleading with someone reading this: get some help today.

Start the process. Don’t wait until your emotional health, marriage relationships, or challenging circumstances magically transform. That might not happen. It rarely does.

Don’t wait until it’s too late. If you are hurt, what can you do this today to reach out to a friend, counselor, mentor, or pastor for help?

Address the issue while there’s till time.