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)