“Happiness is the most important thing.”
“The most challenging relationship you’ll ever have in life is with yourself.”
“Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.”
What do these popular statements have in common?
To me they are not only simplifications of life’s struggles and life’s beauty, but also mystifications that we can and should make it on our own. We are each an important part of God’s plan, but we need to be filled with God’s Spirit to be whom God is truly calling us to be. The statements mentioned above dissuade us from radical interdependence on one another, and radical dependence on God.
Sometimes I lose sight of God’s desire to be in communion with me, God’s desire for me to rely on God, and I set about seeking my own goals, but try as I might, it’s not only harder to muscle through things on my own, but it’s constricting and limiting. Instead, true freedom comes from living in radical communion, dependence, and openness to God, who makes our lives whole and worth living.
During this season of Lent, let us ponder how we can each more fully rely on and be open to God who so radically gave us life by giving up his own.
Amen.