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All I wanted was to grow up, move away from my parents, and be on my own. Then, during my first year of college, an event helped me realize that being an adult isn’t as fun as I had thought.

The event—the flu.  

I was sick, and I needed my mother. Yet, she was nowhere in sight. Everything was up to me. The used tissues. The soup bowl with the crusted-on noodles. And worst of all, I had to clean up my own vomit.

As I lay in my dorm room bed, I threw myself a party—a pity party. I didn’t want to be an adult anymore. I wanted my mom to take care of me.

We live in a society that prizes independence and autonomy. Doing everything by ourselves and on our own. We slap a smile on our face and tell everyone we’re doing fine, when all we want to do is call our mothers and cry.

Even though we might have moved on from the don’t worry, be happy catchphrase, the independent woman ideology still rules our adult lives. We strive to be the perfect American woman—doing it all and doing it all by ourselves. More hours at the job? Yes, please. More activities for the kids? With the extra hours, we’ll have the money for them, so why not? We can do emails in the car and plan our shopping list so that we can have a healthy dinner ready for our happy family.

The American dream seems to be that of a superhero who juggles it all with no outside help. An independent life where we depend on no one. We clean up our own sick messes while our neighbors clean up their messes. We’re all adults, responsible for our own actions. Aren’t we?

Yet being an independent superwoman is a lonely, unattainable dream, one that God never intended us to strive for. From time to time, we all get sick. Our bodies and minds don’t behave like they should. We catch colds, viruses, and pink eye. We deal with anxiety, loneliness, and envy. None of us can juggle everything perfectly. There are only so many days, so many hours, and we only have so much energy. We all need help.

When God created our beautiful world, He said it was good. Then God created man, who was very good, but God hadn’t finished His wonderful creation.

“Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him,’” (Genesis 2:18, ESV).

We are not made to be alone. God made us to reach out and depend on each other.

Hebrews 10:24-25 encourages us to “…consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (ESV).”

When you are weary and sick in body or mind, or if you don’t know how you’re going to juggle one more activity, reach out to others. When you are healed, reach out to others who may benefit from your cure. If your life is slowing down, look for ways to help someone in the busy season of life. Your mother would be proud.