Independence Day Blog II: We Need People. Period.

Ok so even though we are nearly two weeks past Independence Day at this point, I felt that I needed a part II to my entry because there is one more issue with American independence that I want to touch on. This time I'm talking not so much about our relationship with (and dependence on) God, but our relationships with other people. Allow me to expand...

Last time I touched upon the fact that in our culture, sometimes the "ideal" form of independence resembles total self-sufficiency and power. Just as this causes us to strive to have no need for God, it also makes us feel that to rely on others reflects some sort of unacceptable weakness or personal lacking. I think that when we live in this shame of relying upon others, we miss the whole point. The bible (and the human experience) makes it clear that on our own we are broken, weak, sinful people. We simply can't do it all on our own. We weren't made to be super-human. So why do we kill ourselves trying to become something that we were never designed to be? Why do we, on our own, have to have it all together or all figured out?

I'm going to throw something out there that may seem absolutely crazy to some of you. Maybe our weakness on our own is actually one of the greatest gifts we have if we choose to accept and embrace it. You see, I think that life can be incredibly rewarding and meaningful if we can find the transparency and vulnerability to truly share our lives and limitations with others. Once we are willing to admit that everyone struggles with limitations, all shame disappears and we can discover how to support one another. Community forms.

I am increasingly consumed by this idea of community. I firmly believe that it is a critical part of our design as humans. To truly share and live our lives alongside one another. In fact, I find it telling to consider the fact that the bible refers to the church not as a religion, institution, or building, but as the body of one family. How much more intimate and relational could we get?

As one body, in order to truly function, every part (person) needs to work consistently in collaboration. If you were a finger, how could you plan on fully functioning without a hand to attach yourself to? As absurd of an idea as this seems, is it not what we do? Instead of trying to just be a finger, for instance, and attach ourselves appropriately to the hand, we hop around desperately trying to be the finger, hand, arm, and often the whole rest of the body. The result is total exhaustion, unfulfilled living, and an ever-present sense of personal failure. Something tells me that God wouldn't be too pleased by this kind of a life either. But the good news is that He (and we) finds the most delight in our lives when we as fingers simply let ourselves be fingers.

In embracing our weaknesses along with our strengths we can find our place in the body and work together in an incredibly beautiful way. Consider these parallels to the physical human body: Just as a finger cannot lift without a muscle, a dreamer often needs a doer by his/her side to turn vision into action. Just as a brain sends signals to alert us when something is wrong, wise discerning people in the spiritual body alert you to red flags in your life that you may not see on your own. Just as our physical bone structure helps keep us in tact and from falling down, the community body holds us up, keeps us on track, and reminds us that there is hope and support in all situations. Most of all, just as the physical body moves and works in an incredibly intricate and miraculous way when healthy, the spiritual body, when fully connected and functioning, moves in the world with love in ways more powerful than we could imagine.

So whether you are a finger, a muscle, a brain or a bone, I encourage you to simply embrace it and quit trying to do it all. Relationships are not just a privilege. They are crucial to living as God created us...to "have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)

Independence Day Part I: What if American Independence and "In God We Trust" Collided?

If you know anything about me, my family, or summer in Bay View, you know that the 4th of July is a pretty big deal...a VERY big deal. We love the tradition and everything about it: the red, white, and blue, the parades, the ice cream, the grill-out, the fireworks, Aunt Nancy's American flag rice krispy treats and "FIre on the Mountain" salsa dip, even the American history trivia contest my mom creates each year. So as I was gearing up to see my family over this oh-so-important holiday weekend, I found myself reflecting on Independence Day, where it came from, and what it means. What does it mean to celebrate independence as Americans?

In theory, American independence is an incredibly beautiful thing. It revolutionized government and began true democracy in the world. Our independence resulted in a nation founded on the promise of political autonomy, democracy, and personal freedoms. For all of these reasons I love my country and feel incredibly blessed to be an American.

Despite the beautiful basis and true meaning of American independence, I can't help but feel that the masses of Americans have expanded and thwarted it. To many, independence and the American Dream have become doing what you need to do in order to get on the path you need to get on in order to secure your own future without a need for anyone else. Surely, then, you will have achieved complete Independence. True independence. Right?

It is certainly easy to think this way. In fact, it is exactly what I dreamt of for a long time myself. However, there is a problem that surfaces in this vision of independence: this "complete" independence leaves no space for "In God we Trust." Surely it cannot be what our founders had in mind. You see, in seeking such an independence, we ultimately seek to have no need to trust in God. To have enough money so that we won't need to draw on God's divine provision. To be so competent and powerful in our own right that we don't need God to hold us up and give us strength. To be so full of knowledge that we'll already find the answers without having to wait on God's wisdom. The list goes on. In the end, we thwart independence and the American Dream to the point where what we actually desire is not to live in the Promise Land, but to create and command our own.

As a Christian, if American independence turns into living for the coming of your own kingdom, what meaning is there behind "Your Kingdom Come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven"? In heaven we will live in perfect harmony with God. His strength will be our strength. His vision our vision. His ways our ways. So if we pray for the coming of His kingdom here on earth, shouldn't we strive towards less and less of self instead of the more and more of the forcing of personal will that our current-day brand of independence calls for?

I propose a challenge for you this Independence Day. Take and celebrate all of the privileges this nation provides and then put them into God's hands. Give Him the space to work within them according to His will instead of abusing them in order to force your own. I challenge you to seek for your American independence to collide with "In God we Trust." It excites me to think about what this nation might look like. Maybe a little like His Kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Surely then we will truly shine America the Beautiful.