tell me how i'm supposed to breathe with no air

we've all watched tv shows about doctors. ER, grey's, house, what have you. patients are in need of healing, and are brought into the office (or emergency room) for exactly that. but have you ever seen the episode where the patient is so busy complaining about how much things hurt that they can't let the doctor do their healing thing? maybe they won't sign a form, or tell the doctor to send them home because they're "fine." i don't know, i can't remember how it goes. but there's always that character who ends up being killed or seriously hurt because they get caught up in a)complaining about the pain and/or b)covering up the real cause of their injury/disease.

don't you kind of want to yell at the tv and tell them to just give up already so the doctor can start treating them? don't you think they're kind of stupid?

this happens in real life sometimes. in medical situations, of course, but that's not what i'm talking about. i'm talking more about our spiritual lives, and our inefficiency at allowing fellow Christians to help us through them. yes, a walk with God means having a relationship that's between you and Him. but it also means interacting with other members of His creation. it means allowing them to help you when you struggle.

i'm often guilty of...

...telling people everything's fine when it's really very not fine.
...lying about or concealing the true cause of my struggles because i'm ashamed.
...complaining about my problems but not doing anything about them, and not letting others help me with them.

for the record, this is in fact quite stupid. i am often the stupid person in the ER who won't let the nurse put in the IV because needles freak her out. many people i know are often this stupid person as well. sometimes i feel like yelling at myself or them, the same way i feel like yelling at the tv. because it's stupid, and it does absolutely no good for anyone.

just so we're clear.