Ask

Last week I attended a conference in Atlanta. The hotel was sleek and modern. The customer service was superb. When I checked out, the desk clerk asked what could have been better. I told him that it would have been nice to have a coffee maker in my room. He told me that coffee makers were available upon request. Although I had room service the morning of checkout, I had managed without my early morning coffee the three previous days because I didn’t ask for a coffee maker. I assumed that a coffee maker was not available.

During the afternoon of the last day of the conference, I noticed an SUV with the hotel’s logo on the side. At that point I remembered that the hotel had car service. Instead of walking five blocks each way for a brief meeting with a relative, I could have asked the hotel for a ride.

How many times do we assume that the answer will be no? How many times do we assume that we can’t get the help that we need? I often tell my children that the answer is always no if you don’t ask. Years ago, my family went to Disney World two or three times a year. Each time we stayed at a Disney resort, I asked for a free upgrade. For years, the answer was no. After asking every time for several years, I finally received a yes. I tried to get a free upgrade on my cruise in January but pretty much got the runaround. However, when I went to New York for my birthday in August, I received a free upgrade on my hotel room.

How do you muster the courage to ask? Start small. Ask a family member to take over a task for you. Ask a coworker to pick up lunch for you if she’s going out anyway. The next time you travel, ask for a free upgrade. If you have a performance review coming up at work, gather the evidence of what you have contributed beyond what’s expected. Ask for more money, more time off and or more benefits.

What’s even better than asking hotels, airlines and bosses for what we want? Asking God. He owns it all. Why accept knee pain, headaches and insomnia? Ask the Lord for healing. Remind Him that He said in His Word that He heals all disease. Are you using money wisely, but you’re still having trouble paying your bills? Ask the Lord to show you what to do. He has all the answers. Everything that we need and many of the things that we want are available if we just ask.