I wrote this declaration over a year ago. I have made some progress on it, but it is time to renew this and again to commit to the principles I established here. I invite all of you to also make this your new attitude or if unable to do so write something similar for yourself.
Independent Dependence
This summer has been my summer of trials. There were and are health issues that had to be dealt with as well as emotional issues, job issues, and relational issues. Actually all of those issues are still issues. So today I am writing A Declaration of independent dependence. Now how can one write such a document? The two terms are opposed to each other, or are they? They are not.
The Declaration of Independence, when it was originally written asked the help of heaven in order to win the freedom of America, So after they declared a separation between America and England, they declared a reliance on God. They also pledged themselves together, a reliance on God and each other. A whole Country took that step together, and we have the country we have today because of it. I won’t go into why America needs to go back to it’s roots, that is commentary for another time, but what is good for a country can also be good for and individual.
So today I declare myself free from eating habits which are bad for me. I declare myself free form a carb addiction as well as sugar. I recognize that God made all food good, we make it evil for ourselves. I declare myself independent from a lethargic lifestyle. A lifestyle that hopes the work will be done by others. It has been stated that “Evil abounds when good men do nothing.” I will no longer do nothing, but try to make my small “sphere of influence” a better place. I declare myself independent from bad health habits. I will not sit on my butt when my butt should be up and exercising. I will not sleep more than 8 hours, but get up and meet each day with an attitude that says things can happen, good things. I will utter on my worst days the words of The Little Engine, “I think I can I think I can I think I can”, until this words change to “I know I can.” I will be independent as far as I am able from depression. Each day has to have something good in it. I declare independence from blindness to joy and seek “Eyes that will see and ears that will hear.” I declare myself independent from fear. Fear is a paralysis that makes our hopes wither and die. I declare myself master over my fears. The reality is that the things we fear rarely ever happen, and worry is worthless, Jesus said you cannot change the color of a hair from black to grey so why worry about the things we cannot change. I declare independence from worry. Worry can and has eaten me alive. I declare independence from these things.
Now I will declare myself dependent. I have heard the Cross of Christ is a symbol the human race being vertically reunited to God and horizontally being reunited to each other. I think this is true. So I first declare my dependence on God. Jesus gave his life so I could declare this dependence. He made it so I could call God my Father. And as The Gospel states what father give his child a snake when he asks for fish? I can rely on God for what I need, not for what I want. Some of what I want is bad for me, God is not going to supply me with a year’s supply of Entemann’s Cakes or Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream. I don’t need those. He will supply what I need. In some way I will have a place to lay my head at night food to eat and clothes to wear. I may not always know how this will happen, but I can be assured it will. Jesus said “Do you see the flowers, they do not toil or spin but God cares for them, How much more will he care for you?” He then says oh you of little faith. I declare my dependence on Faith that God will know my needs and fulfill them. I declare myself dependent on others. In the play 1776 Abigail Adams reminds her husband John of his own words, “Commitment, commitment, there are two types of men in this world, ones who have a commitment and those who demand the commitment of others. We need each other. As I exercise and eat better I will need resources of how to do that well, and others will one day need me, a commitment to be there for someone when we are needed is something we all have to make. To be reliant on God and others, and to accept the reliance of others on us, is something that could change the world. Will we be let down by others? oh yes, a lot, but we still will need to declare our trust in them even when a friend has hurt us deeply after all Jesus did the same for Peter.
So this is my Declaration of Independent Dependence. I will pledge myself to it in front of all of you. May God give his grace to make it real.
I have the next three days to think about these things and contemplate new plans. I wrote yesterday that September starts a new year. It is a new time to evaluate and re set your course. Today we start again.
