BrotherStrong Weekly Encouragement and Prayer
Healthy Black Man Challenge Week 35
Focus: Healthy Self. Asking for Help
Theme: You Were Never Meant to Carry It All Alone
Weekly Encouragement
Brother,
There is strength in saying three simple words:
"I need help."
For many Black men, those words do not come easily.
We have learned how to figure it out.
Push through.
Handle our business.
Carry the family.
Solve the problem.
Keep moving.
And somewhere along the way, some of us started believing that needing help meant we were not strong enough.
Brother, that is not strength.
That is isolation.
You can be strong and still need support.
You can be a leader and still need guidance.
You can be a provider and still need someone to pour into you.
You can have faith and still need a counselor.
You can pray and still need a doctor.
You can encourage everybody else and still need somebody to encourage you.
Healthy men know the difference between independence and isolation.
There are burdens you were never supposed to carry by yourself.
Sometimes strength looks like pushing through.
But sometimes strength looks like picking up the phone.
Making the appointment.
Calling your brother.
Talking to your pastor.
Finding a mentor.
Asking the question.
Admitting that you do not know.
Saying, "I'm struggling."
And allowing someone to help.
Brother, needing help does not diminish your manhood.
Knowing when to ask for it demonstrates maturity.
This week, stop carrying something alone simply because you have always carried it alone.
Let somebody in.
Weekly Prayer
God,
Thank You for reminding us that we were never created to walk through life alone.
Forgive us for the times pride, fear, shame, or embarrassment prevented us from asking for help.
Give us wisdom to recognize when we need support.
Give us courage to speak honestly about what we are carrying.
Surround us with trustworthy people who will listen, encourage, challenge, and support us.
When we need medical care, give us courage to seek it.
When we need emotional support, give us courage to receive it.
When we need spiritual guidance, lead us to wise counsel.
When we simply need a brother, remind us that we do not have to suffer silently.
And make us men who are willing to help another brother when he reaches out to us.
Amen.
Weekly Activation: Week 35 Challenge
Theme: Reach Out
1. Mind
Identify one area of your life where you have been trying to figure everything out alone.
Ask yourself:
"Who could help me with this?"
Then contact that person.
2. Body
Think about something regarding your physical health that you have been postponing.
A physical.
A dental appointment.
A screening.
A conversation with your doctor.
A healthier routine.
Take one concrete step this week.
3. Spirit
Ask one trusted brother to pray specifically for something you are facing.
Do not just say, "Pray for me."
Tell him what you need prayer for.
Reflection Question
What am I carrying alone simply because I am afraid to admit that I need help?
The Journey Continues
Brother,
Thirty five weeks into the Healthy Black Man Challenge, we have learned that strength has many expressions.
Strength is discipline.
Strength is integrity.
Strength is forgiveness.
Strength is vulnerability.
And yes, strength is knowing when you need help.
We are building healthy Black men, not invincible Black men.
There is a difference.
You do not have to know everything.
You do not have to solve everything.
You do not have to carry everybody.
And you certainly do not have to suffer alone.
Healthy Self means knowing yourself well enough to recognize when your own strength is not enough.
There is no shame in reaching for another hand.
Weekly Affirmation
I do not have to carry everything alone.
Asking for help does not make me weak.
I am wise enough to seek support.
I am strong enough to receive it.
I am surrounded by people who want to see me whole.
Special Version for Black Women
To every Black woman reading this,
Sometimes the Black man in your life needs help but does not know how to ask for it.
He may have spent years believing that his role is to provide the answers, solve the problems, carry the burden, and remain strong for everyone else.
So when he is struggling, his first instinct may be silence.
This week, help us remind Black men that they do not have to carry everything alone.
And please continue sharing the Healthy Black Man Challenge each week with every Black man you know.
Share it with your son.
Share it with your husband or partner.
Share it with your father.
Share it with your brothers.
Share it with your coworkers and friends.
Invite every Black man you know to join us as we continue pursuing health in body, soul, and spirit.
Your invitation may reach a man who has been silently looking for permission to ask for help.
Thank you for listening to Black men.
Thank you for encouraging Black men.
Thank you for reminding Black men that strength and vulnerability can exist in the same man.
Thank you for continuing to believe in healthy, whole, and growing Black men.
Weekly Challenge for Women
This week, ask one Black man in your life:
"Is there anything you're carrying right now that you don't have to carry by yourself?"
Then give him room to answer.
Do not immediately fix it.
Do not interrogate him.
Do not judge his response.
Listen.
And if he asks for help, support him in finding the help he needs.
Sometimes the safest thing you can give someone is the assurance that they do not have to face something alone.
Closing Reflection
Brother,
You have probably spent much of your life being strong for somebody.
Your family.
Your children.
Your friends.
Your church.
Your coworkers.
Your community.
But who gets to be strong for you?
Who knows when you are tired?
Who knows when you are afraid?
Who knows when you are overwhelmed?
Who knows when you need help?
If nobody knows, this is your week to change that.
Call somebody.
Talk to somebody.
Make the appointment.
Ask the question.
Receive the support.
You do not lose strength by allowing someone to help carry the weight.
Sometimes that is exactly how you find the strength to keep going.
BrotherStrong does not mean a brother has to be strong alone.
It means we become stronger together.
Until all have been touched... keep reaching!
Jeremy
I Am... You Are... We Are... BrotherStrong!
