Friday, July 5, 2013

independence?

We just celebrated Independence Day. I saw an editorial cartoon that made fun of Americans' desire for independence while they were still dependent on the electric power grid for their televisions and other electronic gadgets. What is independence and why is it so valued in American society?

The Declaration of Independence is about independence from Great Britain, not personal independence. In fact, the founding fathers felt that the best citizens for their new country would be people who lived their lives in dependence on God and in interdependence with each other. Such people would have a strong moral compass and sense of civic duty.

So what's the place of personal independence? Does God want us to learn independence from him? Yes and no. The Psalmist speaks of becoming "like a weaned child" in Psalm 131:
1 My heart is not proud, Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
We find contentment with God when we are able to understand that he isn't there to satisfy our every whim and demand but that he still has our best interests, our growth and flourishing, at heart. And when we have this sort of relationship with God, we can relate in true interdependence with each other, living into the sort of community (oikos) that best expresses the redemptive purposes that he has for this world that he loves and for which he gave his Son.