Independent To A Fault (pt 2)

In part 1 of this post, I talked about being too independent and how my independence has gotten in the way when it comes to relationships. My most important relationship is with my Heavenly Father and trying to be independent has definitely hurt that relationship at times. There are some positive things when it comes to being “healthily independent”, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about being independent to a fault. I’m talking about the not so healthy parts.

I was listening to a sermon one time and the preacher said, “our self sufficiency blurs the supremacy of the cross”. Something clicked with me. You know how that happens sometimes. I wrote it down and read it over and over and thought about it and thought about it some more. I still repeat it to myself often. “Our self sufficiency blurs the supremacy of the cross”. Our independence (lack of dependence on Christ) “cheapens” the fact that He chose to die for us because that was the ONLY way for us to get to live eternally with Him in heaven. (John 14:6) There is no other way. There is nothing we can “do” independent of Him. Our sin separates us. This says complete, total dependence on Him is required! When we are being “self sufficient” (or portray we are), people do not get to see Jesus at work in our lives. The goal is not to show how strong we are (because we aren’t). The goal is to point people toward Jesus!

When we are being independent, we are putting ourselves in the driver’s seat of our lives … in the position of control (there is that ugly word again….”control”). We put “works” and “behavior” before relationship. It is an illusion that we might can keep up for a season……you know…… the “not hard” seasons. God designed us for relationship with him. He made us with a God size hole that nothing else can fill. Relationship with Christ means dependency on Christ on the mountain tops and in the valleys.

For some stupid reason, I guess I thought God was proud of me for taking care of myself…..proud of me for not being so “needy”. Also, when we appear to be strong and self sufficient, doesn’t that make us look like we’ve got it going on? (And who doesn’t want to look like they’ve got it going on?) Like we’ve got it figured out? Like we are such “good Christians” because we aren’t being so “needy”? I’ll say it before you do. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Yes, it sure is but are we guilty? I am. Maybe we are trying to convey this image to other people…… other Christians….. our friends at church. Maybe we are trying to trick ourselves into thinking we are in control. Ouch! It’s easy to read this and think, I would never do that but do our actions prove otherwise? Im guilty! I’m going to testify right here, right now, that I do NOT, in fact, have it “going on”, “figured out”, or anything that resembles having it figured out! You know what I’m learning? The freedom is in complete surrender! Complete surrender is so much less tiring than trying to control everything myself!

~Mandy