A higher virtue than independence

Like our nation itself, all of us start out our lives dependent upon others—our parents, grandparents, caretakers—for food, for clothing, for shelter. As infants, toddlers, and small children, we cannot care for ourselves. We are completely dependent upon others to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

As we grow older—become adolescents, teenagers, young adults—we gradually gain more of a sense of independence. I remember when I turned 16 and got my driver’s license, I felt like I had finally arrived. I could go where I wanted, when I wanted. I was independent! But who was paying for my gas, for my insurance, for the car itself? Maybe I wasn’t as independent as I wanted to think I was!

We value independence so very much. It’s what we want for ourselves. It’s what we want for our kids and grandkids. We want them to grow up and become independent. And a sense of independence can be healthy, especially when one seeks to be free from oppressive governments or oppressive relationships. But I wonder if there is a virtue even more valuable than independence.

It seems to me that the Bible teaches us that God ultimately calls us not to independence but to interdependence upon God and one another. We are completely dependent upon God for life, for salvation, for everything! But God is also depending upon us to be God’s witnesses, to shine forth God’s image in the world around us. And as we are exploring in our summer worship series, God calls us to a life of interdependence with one another. We’re called to love one another, to welcome one another, to bear one another’s burdens, to forgive one another, to encourage one another, to pray for one another. God calls us beyond our dependence, and even our independence, to interdependence.

So this week, as we join in the celebration of our nation’s independence, let us also remember that God calls us—as individuals, as congregations, and even as a nation—to the higher virtue of interdependence, a way of relating with God and one another that reflects the interdependence of God as a Trinity.