I'm Independent!
Granddaddy got a new scooter. Many of my friends have heard all about this recent grasp for independence including how he went behind all of our backs to order the thing online, despite the fact that several family members had advised him against it. Then once it arrived, he decided that he didn't need to stay on the sidewalk (it was too bumpy), the street is much better...never mind that the scooter goes a whopping 6mph max. Anyway, we've had several talks about the scooter and where it's safe to ride, etc, etc. I did make him promise me that he would wait until I could go with him the first time he took it for a spin, which he did, only because by a stroke of Providence, the scooter arrived minus its all-important seat and in the meantime, I got back into town and "happened to be home" the day the missing part arrived.

We took it down to the church (his primary desired destination)...him driving his 6mph and me jogging alongside. On the way home, he got disoriented and lost his street, then passed his house (this didn't foster much confidence in me),but we managed. Also, I had to take him to the bicycle shop to get an obnoxious horn, a bright orange flag and reflective triangle stickers so he could be somewhat safer out there.

It occurs to me that we do the same thing as Granddaddy in our spiritual lives. We run ahead of God, making our decisions despite what we're told in Scripture and ignoring the warnings of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. We assert our "independence" by choosing to ride on the "smoother street" because the sidewalks of life are too bumpy. We lose our way home because we get so caught up in the world that we forget what home looks like and we drive right past it.

It's ironic that even with all this "independence" Granddaddy's scooter brings him, I still had to take him to the store for scooter parts and I had to show him the way home the first time he went out on it. Independence is a farce, an illusion...it's the enemy telling us that we don't need God, we can maneuver through life just fine on our own. We can put on our little horn and flag and reflective stickers and we'll be safe from all the speeding, unheeding cars out there with which we're so determined to share the road.

The most freeing thing a Christian can do is not to assert his independence, but to recognize his utter dependence. This is what Christ meant when He said "Apart from me, you can do nothing" (John 15:5b). In fact, that whole chapter of John's gospel is about our sole dependence on Christ for everything. Stop believing the lie that you can be independent and start resting on the glorious fact that dependence means you're not in charge of the outcome...you only have to be faithful in the day-to-day. Rest on what Christ has done for you on the Cross and trust in the Lord with all your heart, not in your own understanding. Celebrate dependence! It means Someone who knows much better than you is taking care of you!

Oh, and please pray for my Granddaddy not to get lost or fall off that crazy thing somewhere between home and church.