As we meet the eve of the Fourth of July my mind goes to questions surrounding independence and dependence.
We celebrate Independence Day, and in many ways ours is the celebration of rebellion! Yes, it was a rebellion against tyranny! That is a very important distinction. [See The Declaration of Independence] The American Revolution was about becoming a free agent. Seeking liberty to act justly, VS “Do what ‘I’ want.”
Think a moment about how people learn to become independent. Isn’t that what adolescence all about? If we do our parenting well, we are constantly, consistently teaching and training them to become independent from us. BUT, when the adolescents start to really grasp that concept, we parents are very often in for a roller coaster of a ride!
Some children flow into adulthood with little turbulence. But from my experience and observations, very few children have an easy adjustment to maturity. Most of the time, the rebellion phase eventually passes, their frontal lobes finally form, and adolescents become responsible adults. Most of the time.
The US independence eventually matured the fledgling country into the most powerful nation on earth. It is not unbridled power. There are constraints, as there are for our individual liberties.
The USA is founded on biblical principles with checks and balances, precisely because human nature leans toward corruption. The three branches of government are independent of one another, yet dependent on one another. The more I think about it I am “wowed” by the brilliance of it. Yet, without a moral foundation it doesn’t work for long.
Independence
So how might this idea of independence and dependence be personally meaningful to our relationships with others and with our Creator? What does healthy independence look like? Well, I propose that healthy independence looks a lot like healthy dependence. . . on other people and especially on God.
We are created to be social beings. We are each unique. We are created male I female. The way we are made, these differences are necessary. We can’t make more people with out at least a man and a woman. Then the smallest units of people are families. We grow, nurture and mature in families.
And we are created in the image of God, who is in fact, three . . in one! I don’t really understand it fully, but I know we are created to need one another.
In the “Godhead,” they depend on each other and we in the family unit depend on each other. And we depend on God for life. The Creator is also the sustainer of life.
Dependence
Becoming Independently dependent is the goal.
I am an individual and as an adult I am responsible for my personal actions, and to care for my children when they are young. I am created in the image of God, and I am also a child of God. As I mature, ideally, I am growing in characteristics that mirror the goodness of God. I am independent, but dependent within my family.
Was I participate in society. I am responsible to perform my civic duties like paying taxes and voting. And I am dependent on the Government to provide for general security by maintaining national defenses, societal order and justice. I am independent, yet dependent.
I also am responsible to love my neighbor as myself. That may have many ways it works out. If someone is in a desperate situation, the help is more direct. If they can help themselves, then I do what I can to connect them to ways to help them help themselves. For example, finding work or gaining training. We are independently dependent on one another.
Likewise with God, I am dependent on the Creator for every breath I take. From experience I know that the Bible helps give me direction so I can mature into the person I am created to be. My personal walk with God contributes to my maturity and independence. I gain my strength and wisdom from the Creator. I am independently dependent on God.
Take a bit of time to contemplate all the interconnectedness of life. I have only scratched the surface!
On this Celebration of our nations independence, thank God for our nation! Thank God for our freedoms. Thank God for our dependence too. Without God, and each other, we are nothing.
