I sat down on the couch after a very long day, ready to relax.

But my dog won’t let me.

Coco is pawing my right hand while I’m trying to write in my journal. She is relentless, with her snuffles and sniffs, wanting attention and doing everything she can to get it. 

Zelda the cat is not much better. She waits just outside the bathroom door, and then she ambushes us by hugging our ankles and giving us a love bite or two. If you shake her off and walk away, she gets in front of you, blocking your path of escape. She then proceeds to look directly at your face with a wide-eyed gaze of desperation, all while vocalizing a most mournful, melodic meow.

They’re just flat out needy.

It’s okay for pets to be needy. That’s their job. We are their people, and truth be told, we need them just as much as they need us. 

Except when I want to write, and I’ve got a paw on my hand and a fluffy tail swishing my face.

But when it comes to humans, being needy becomes a less-than-desirable trait. Children get a pass for a little while, but not before they’ve learned how to whine and pout, with the same inflection of tone that Zelda uses when she’s not getting her playtime or her treats.

That natural, in-born pity party we first know as kids can become a lifelong battle of complaining, making excuses, and manipulating to try to get our way. Seeking excessive attention, validation, and reassurance from others is usually a sign of a deep-seated emotional problem.

And because we’re not fluffy shih-tzus or elegant black cats, it’s not cute.

But let’s be honest: there are times that we all need help, love, and support, but we fear the judgment of others if we dare express anything perceived as weakness or vulnerability.

We tell ourselves a lie when we think we are supposed to be strong, capable, and independent in all ways, as if we are all a one-man or woman band playing all the instruments while marching to our own beat.

Do that for too long, and you start to play out of tune, with cymbals crashing to the ground, while you get tangled up over your own two feet and somehow manage to land in your own tuba.

When that happens to you, if you’re like me, you might try to save face and revert to the childhood pity party. I keep mine locked down inside, while I sulk and listen to angsty Fleetwood Mac and Heart ballads.

Maybe I’ll write about what’s bugging me in my journal. Maybe I’ll go for a long run.

Maybe I’ll actually ask someone for help.

Or maybe I’ll spend time with God to help sort it all out. During my moments of greatest need, I want to curl up and rest my head on God’s lap while He reminds me of His promises:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:3

---

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9

---

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

God cares for us deeply, and He wants us to depend on Him for the strength that only He can provide. 

So go ahead. Be as needy as you want with God. Call out to Him and remind yourself that He loves you more than you could ever realize. He has His ways of giving each of us exactly what we need.

Besides, the pats on the head the world gives you aren’t worth much anyway.