Thirsty Thursday - Lean on Me

I'm excited about this topic for Thirsty Thursday, because I have been thinking it through for a very long time, and The Lord is giving me, even now, more and more understanding about it!

Independence is a highly valued trait in our society. And although it holds some weight as a good trait, I think the bible would challenge our ingrained view of this American value. We really need to ask ourselves whether we place too much value on "independence."

Have you noticed that asking for help is an extremely difficult thing to do? I know it is and was for me, and it is and was for Seth, too. The Lord is changing us in this area, though. Having a child with SO many needs, and a growing family, places limits on us, and forces us to rely on one another, and also to rely on others, and ultimately teaches us to rely on God.

Dependence. It has a bad connotation. When you think of the word "dependence" you might think of a drug addiction, or a person on welfare, or just general, well, weakness. But I would like to challenge you today to think about dependence in a different way. Not a weakness, but rather a strength.

God gave us the church - each other as Christians - in order that we might learn - not the value of independence, but of dependence.  

You know, so many times I have chosen not to rely on people simply because I didn't want them to have a say in my life. If I allow people to help me, they are going to see my weaknesses, and they might have something to say about those weaknesses. They might challenge me. I don't want them to have that kind of control! I want to call all the shots for myself. I want to be queen. I guess that ultimately, I want to be God....

But remember that our God is a jealous God. He alone is God, and what if He wants to mold you and make you through these times of reliance on others? So you have to give yourself up. Deny yourself. Pick up your cross and follow Him? Oh yeah, Jesus said that, didn't He?? Sigh...

Let's look to the word for a little perspective on this...

2 Corinthians 1:3-11

"³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
 ⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,^[a] about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many."

Acts 2:42-47

"⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

You know, reliance on one another really does create a bond of love that can't be conjured up or brought about in any other way. I think that it is this kind of love that The Lord intends for His people, in the church, and in marriage.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how Seth has stepped in to take James to appointments and take on much of his care over the last couple of years, while I had two other babies! It used to be that I had a hard time trusting Seth to take James to doctor's appointments, and to do it "right." I don't think this would have ever changed, except that I have been forced to depend on him to take James several times over the last couple of years when I was too weak to do it myself, or in a position where it made more sense for Seth to do it than me. I have been either pregnant or nursing for - well, a really long time! haha. And Seth has had to learn to speak the language, ask the right questions, pack the right stuff, and all of that... I have full confidence in him now... why? Because The Lord arranged it so that I had to rely on him, and something beautiful has come out of this reliance!!

See how it works?

Most of my pregnancy with Caleb I was pretty useless. I could barely do everyday tasks, and I spent the little bit of energy I had to take care of basic needs. My mom came and did housework, stole my laundry, did it at her house, and then delivered it back to me all clean and folded. Becky came over to help clean, and to help dress and feed the kids, and to read to James. She went to Farmer's Market for me, and brought me delicious produce to nourish my pregnant body and my growing baby!


These are just a few examples of how reliance on others has been a beautiful thing for me - to change me - to make me realize that my "self-sufficiency" is not at all sufficient... or beneficial.

I know these thoughts are not completely cohesive. There is more that I had hoped to say, to bring it all together... but I do hope that you have been challenged, as I have, to take a second look at how dependence on one another as Christians can be a thing to be valued. 


Independence is not all it's cracked up to be.


Think about it!