The Mistake Most Guys Make That Keeps Them Exhausted

If you've been reading these for a while, you know the last couple of weeks have given me two stories I didn't expect to share. One was about my neighbor, the guy next door who has helped me figure out how to take care of a house I honestly had no idea how to maintain. The other was about losing my passport in Greece, when a hotel owner named Christina spent hours making phone calls and driving me to the police station until my backpack was back in my hands. When I look at those two stories side by side, I notice something they have in common, which is that in both of them, the help only came because I reached out and let someone in.

Why We Try to Carry It Alone

I think a lot of us, and especially us guys, grow up believing that needing help means we've failed somehow. We'd rather figure it out on our own, stay quiet about what we're struggling with, and act like everything is under control, because asking feels like admitting weakness. So we carry the stress, the questions, and the burdens by ourselves, and we wonder why we feel so worn out and alone. But when that crack showed up on my ceiling, I didn't have the knowledge to fix it, and when my passport drove away in a taxi, I didn't have the ability to get it back. In both moments, I had a choice to either keep spinning on my own or pick up the phone, and picking up the phone changed everything.

Even Moses Needed Help

There's a story in Exodus 18 that I love. Moses is leading the entire nation of Israel, and he's sitting from morning until evening settling every single dispute among the people by himself. His father-in-law, Jethro, watches all of this and finally tells him,

"What you are doing is not good. You and the people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone." – Exodus 18:17–18

Moses was one of the greatest leaders in the entire Bible, someone who spoke with God face to face, and he still needed someone to tell him he couldn't do it all alone. If Moses needed help, I think it's safe to say that you and I do too.

God Works Through People

So often we pray for God to help us, and then we overlook the people He sends to do it. God designed us for community from the very beginning, and Scripture is full of reminders that we were never meant to walk through life alone.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." – Ecclesiastes 4:9–10

Asking for help isn't a lack of faith, and it's often exactly how God chooses to answer our prayers. Sometimes His answer looks like a neighbor walking across the yard, and sometimes it looks like a hotel owner who refuses to give up. And when we're on the other side of it, we get the privilege of being that answer for someone else.

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." – Galatians 6:2

You can't carry someone else's burden if they never tell you about it, and no one can help carry yours if you keep it hidden. So whatever you're holding onto right now, whether it's a practical problem, a hard season, a struggle you've never told anyone about, or a question you don't know how to answer, I want to encourage you to reach out to someone this week. It might be a friend, a pastor, a mentor, or a neighbor, but the first step is simply being honest that you can't do it alone.

Reflection Questions

1. Is there something you've been trying to carry by yourself that you need to share with someone?

2. What makes asking for help hard for you, and where do you think that comes from?

3. Who in your life might need help right now, and how could you show up for them this week?

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Justin Paget

Joe Navarro, known online as @joechristianguy, is a Christian content creator, entrepreneur, and cultural voice passionate about making faith approachable and impactful for the next generation. With over 4.5 million combined followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, Joe delivers bold, Gospel-centered truth through a mix of daily encouragement, short-form teachings, comedic skits, and authentic life experiences. His unique blend of theology, humor, and clarity has created space for millions of young believers and skeptics alike to engage with Scripture and real conversations about following Jesus in a digital world. In 2023, he co-created the popular card game Discernment alongside Jacob and Julia Petersen, which is now available in major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Museum of the Bible, and Mardel. He also holds a degree in Agricultural Economics with a minor in Sales from Texas A&M.