Journeys 7-2-06

Journeys: 7-2-06
{from the backside of the bulletin of Centenary U.M.C., Beatrice, NE}

Tuesday is Independence Day. I’ve probably spent half of my life asserting my personal independence. My teenage years were about proving my independence from my parents. My early young adult years were about proving my value in competition with my peers. Whomever came out on top could separate themselves from the pack and claim Alpha-dog status. I entered marriage determined not to loose my independence. I chose my vocation partly because of the independence and freedom it offers when it comes to my daily schedule.

Then, we were in that eight car pile-up in the mountains of Tennessee. I spent a week at the University of Tennessee Medical Center before being flown to Beatrice. One day after arriving at the Beatrice Hospital, God spoke through the nurse who leaned down and said, “Honey, you’re gonna’ have to learn how to ask for help when you need it.”

Today’s theme is dependence verses independence. ‘Cause if I’ve learned nothing else from this broken hip and broken pelvis, its that I’ve overlooked the value of dependence for most of my life. Now, I have no choice. I am dependent on others for almost everything (and I mean EVERYTHING).

And, since I can’t help but wonder what God has to do with all of this, I wonder if part of what Jesus was trying to teach us, was about how we need to depend on each other; how, being a part of a community is how we get closer to God; how, depending on each other is a rather Christian thing to do. Maybe independence is not all its cracked up to be. Maybe dependence on God is what is most important. Maybe dependence on each other is what follows. I don’t know. But my near death car crash experience and subsequent recovery time has forced me to reconsider such things.

Grace & Peace,