Thoughts on Independence
Here in El Salvador we celebrate independence September 15th. All month you can see flags hung out and on car antennas, and little girls with blue and white ribbons tied in their hair boasting the colors of the flag. The week of the 15th there are multiple parades with each school marching, the bands playing, and many cultural displays. It's something that I love to go and watch and take photos of my students and kids from the CDI. However, this year as I was watching the parade I was suddenly struck by how deeply ingrained in human nature it is to seek out, and celebrate independence. I started asking myself why, and what God had to say about that.
When we think about being independent it is something, at least in American culture, that is encouraged and with time a sign of success. I can hear my own father saying, "it is my job to give you roots and wings so you always know where you came from, but you have the ability to fly away when it is time." Independence is expected. We make fun of the 35 year old who lives in his parents' basement. There are movies made about it! In your job, the more independent you are, the more competent you are and the more likely you are to get a raise.
But what is independence? According to a quick internet dictionary search it is this: "freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others." It is the state of being completely free from the control or even the support of anyone else. That sounds really lonely to me, and actually quite unachievable.
For the past couple years I have struggled with bouts of depression. I have these dark spaces where I feel incredibly alone and as though there is not another human in the world that cares about me. I know that it is not true, but in that dark space Satan seems to rule my thoughts. As a result of this battle I stumbled upon an audiobook titled Lost Connections in which the author, sparked by his own battle with depression, sought out some answers. In his investigation he found that antidepressants were not all that effective and there is little to no scientific evidence to support that they are. Now before I continue, I am not giving any evidence in favor of, or against the efficacy of these medications, I am simply relaying what this particular man found. As the book continues he talks about how as he continued to study depression and its causes that it has much less to do with brain chemistry and everything to do with emotional connections. He found that people who were more isolated tended to be more depressed. He found that people who were poor, living in high crime areas, with poor housing conditions, and dead end jobs, simply by connecting with their neighbors had a measurable improvement in their quality of life without changing any of the seemingly apparent reasons their lives were less than satisfactory.
So why do we celebrate independence? Look what happened to Adam and Eve when they decided they didn't want God "controlling" them anymore. When we look at the Bible I am hard pressed to find anywhere that encourages us to seek independence. We are told to seek freedom multiple times, but I believe there is a subtle but crucial difference. Indepence says, "I don't need anyone else, I can do it all on my own," while freedom says, "I have a choice and delight in knowing that I can choose others at will."
In Galatians 5:1 it says, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yolk of slavery." Christ set us free not to be independent, but to be dependent on him. He allows us the freedom to choose a life completely dependent on him rather than a life of slavery and submission to our sin. In Matthew Jesus tells us, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." If we are truly independent we MUST worry about tomorrow. Who will put food on the table? Who will protect the kids? Who will take care of the bills? And the list goes on. But if we depend on God, we really don't have to worry because for one, tomorrow is no guarantee, and two, God has got it all under control. I'm not saying to be lazy and do nothing, but there is no point in being anxious because what is going to happen is going to happen, and there is a greater power that has it under control should you choose to depend on him.
I wish I had a great wrap up to all of these thoughts, but I don't. I just know that for almost my entire life I've been told that independence is a sign of well being and success, but I have tried the whole going it alone thing, and it didn't workout so well for me. I look around and I see a ton of crime, division, and a serious lack of understanding. What if rather than everyone trying to stand on and defend their own little island, we instead decided to allow each other in? Extend a hand, ask for help, let God in, and encourage connection, because what I see around me terrifies me and makes me so deeply sad.
When we think about being independent it is something, at least in American culture, that is encouraged and with time a sign of success. I can hear my own father saying, "it is my job to give you roots and wings so you always know where you came from, but you have the ability to fly away when it is time." Independence is expected. We make fun of the 35 year old who lives in his parents' basement. There are movies made about it! In your job, the more independent you are, the more competent you are and the more likely you are to get a raise.
But what is independence? According to a quick internet dictionary search it is this: "freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others." It is the state of being completely free from the control or even the support of anyone else. That sounds really lonely to me, and actually quite unachievable.
For the past couple years I have struggled with bouts of depression. I have these dark spaces where I feel incredibly alone and as though there is not another human in the world that cares about me. I know that it is not true, but in that dark space Satan seems to rule my thoughts. As a result of this battle I stumbled upon an audiobook titled Lost Connections in which the author, sparked by his own battle with depression, sought out some answers. In his investigation he found that antidepressants were not all that effective and there is little to no scientific evidence to support that they are. Now before I continue, I am not giving any evidence in favor of, or against the efficacy of these medications, I am simply relaying what this particular man found. As the book continues he talks about how as he continued to study depression and its causes that it has much less to do with brain chemistry and everything to do with emotional connections. He found that people who were more isolated tended to be more depressed. He found that people who were poor, living in high crime areas, with poor housing conditions, and dead end jobs, simply by connecting with their neighbors had a measurable improvement in their quality of life without changing any of the seemingly apparent reasons their lives were less than satisfactory.
So why do we celebrate independence? Look what happened to Adam and Eve when they decided they didn't want God "controlling" them anymore. When we look at the Bible I am hard pressed to find anywhere that encourages us to seek independence. We are told to seek freedom multiple times, but I believe there is a subtle but crucial difference. Indepence says, "I don't need anyone else, I can do it all on my own," while freedom says, "I have a choice and delight in knowing that I can choose others at will."
In Galatians 5:1 it says, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yolk of slavery." Christ set us free not to be independent, but to be dependent on him. He allows us the freedom to choose a life completely dependent on him rather than a life of slavery and submission to our sin. In Matthew Jesus tells us, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." If we are truly independent we MUST worry about tomorrow. Who will put food on the table? Who will protect the kids? Who will take care of the bills? And the list goes on. But if we depend on God, we really don't have to worry because for one, tomorrow is no guarantee, and two, God has got it all under control. I'm not saying to be lazy and do nothing, but there is no point in being anxious because what is going to happen is going to happen, and there is a greater power that has it under control should you choose to depend on him.
I wish I had a great wrap up to all of these thoughts, but I don't. I just know that for almost my entire life I've been told that independence is a sign of well being and success, but I have tried the whole going it alone thing, and it didn't workout so well for me. I look around and I see a ton of crime, division, and a serious lack of understanding. What if rather than everyone trying to stand on and defend their own little island, we instead decided to allow each other in? Extend a hand, ask for help, let God in, and encourage connection, because what I see around me terrifies me and makes me so deeply sad.
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