Thoughts on Independence vs. Dependence

Attribution

Today our country celebrates what is probably the most important day in American history -- our independence.

Where I live in the Pacific NW, we celebrate what we hope is the beginning of summer.  Hard to believe considering where the rest of the country has been recently in the weather news.

As I reflected on our hopes in the NW for warmer, drier, sunnier days, I found myself thinking of the hope our forefathers held in their hearts when they left England for what would become America.

They were seeking freedom from tyranny, to worship as they wished, to be at liberty to govern themselves, and so much more.

BUT even in gaining independence, those hopes depended on their faith in God, a leaning on His everlasting arms.


In Isaiah 26:2-4, as found in the Amplified Bible, we read:

Open the gates, that the [uncompromisingly] righteous nation
which keeps her faith and her troth [with God] may enter in.
You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose

mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You,
because he commits himself to You, leans on You,
and hopes confidently in You.

So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him,
hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an
everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages].

Lately, and perhaps because of family circumstances, I've been considering just how much I fix my eyes on Him, allowing myself to lean into Him and hope in Him.  Is it enough?

Or do I allow myself to get caught up in the worldly comforts of our free nation, and lose that focus?  Do I battle for independence from Him in favor of what the world around me can offer? 

God's been nudging me to come closer, to lean more steadfastly, to be constant in my hope and trust, because this is the greatest of freedoms.  A pure and simple gift of grace offered through sacrifice, the sacrifice of His Son.

Today, although thankful for the freedoms of our homeland, I choose dependence on Him first.  Then I can truly enjoy the independence found in our history and our lives today.

What about you?  Where do your priorities and freedoms take you?  Closer or farther away?

Linking up today with:

I Can Do It!

Attribution

I can do it!  Oh, I remember the first time I heard my son say these words.

You know the age, right?  Around two or three years of age, a child begins to explore his or her independence.

I can do it!

Confession:  I've said those words too.  I can do it!

And I want to do it, do it all.  I want control over my life.  But I can't!  There I've said it.

I can't do it all.  I can't control my life in every detail. 

UNLESS . . .

I look to Christ for strength. 

 I live in His Word, reading daily.

I commit to remembering that in Him I can do so much more.

Because He, and He alone, can provide what I need to 

do what my life requires, my life as He sees it.

My life is not wholly my own, but

a shared existence with and through Him.

Then, partnering with Christ, I can do all things -- 

all things that He has planned for me.

Like a seed planted in the ground can't grow unless it is watered and fed and watched over, I need to be nourished by Christ's love and strength.

What about you?  Can you do all things?  Wouldn't it be easier

with Christ providing for you the strength and the guidance

you really need?  

Think about it, won't you?


Linking up today with: