Independence

As we just celebrated The 4th of July, or Independence Day, I’ve been thinking about the word “independence.” My daughters are 4 years old and I see their independence growing every day. This week they are up at Grammie Camp – a true sign that they are growing up as we’ve waited until we thought they could make it through a week without missing Mommy too much! Independence is something we strive for in our lives and something we work towards developing in our children as parents. We try to get them to feed themselves, teach them to go potty on their own, and show them how to dress themselves – it is all an effort to give them independence and thrust them away from their dependence on us. This idea of creating a person who is self sufficient seems so natural and positive. We praise their every accomplishment and cheer them onto the next. Isn’t it odd then that as an adult I strive to be less independent and more dependent on God? To trust His guidance rather than trying to master my own sense of direction. To rely on His strength rather than doing reps to build up my own muscle. To put my weight down on His Word rather than straining to find my own wisdom. I guess the beauty of Independence Day is that many lost their lives so that we could find ours in Christ. They gave us the “independence” or freedom from an authority that dictated religion, so that we could freely place our dependence upon the god of our choice. As I continue to help my children grow and develop into little people who no longer need Mommy to do everything for them, I hope to also point them towards Jesus who can do everything for them. Independent from me, dependent on God.