Editor's Note I didn’t ask for that By Darcy L. Fargo

October 30, 2024

He helps without being asked.

It’s become increasingly common for me to walk in the door at the end of my day and hear my son, Jake, say, “I fed the cats.”

Or I walk in the door and see him standing at the kitchen sink doing dishes.

These aren’t huge tasks, but him doing them means the world to me. While he helps in eleventy billion ways around the house when he’s asked, and his help is always appreciated, the times I don’t ask mean even more.
It demonstrates that Jake is thoughtful and caring and wants to be helpful, and it shows he’s self-motivated. It warms my heart.

After the most recent such incident, I took a couple minutes to thank God for putting this wonderful, inspiring young man in my life, this young man who helps without being asked.

God used that moment to point out the fact that I’m not always grateful for the things He does without being asked.

I’ve brought some pretty huge requests to God in prayer lately. To be honest, I’ve been sort consumed with the fact that those prayers haven’t been answered in the ways I hoped, and I’ve been more than a little angry with God as a result. That selfish part of my brain says, “why aren’t you helping me the way I asked?”

God reminded me that I’m so blinded by wanting things my way that I’m not seeing the countless ways he’s blessing me and helping me without me asking. Every morning I wake up is a blessing from God that I didn’t ask Him to give.

While I can be angry with God for not answering some prayers the way I want, God reminded me I still have plenty for which to be thankful, and He is always with me. He reminded me I should be grateful for those gifts he gives me purely out of His love.

Even without being asked.