<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing is more desirable than to be released from an affliction, but nothing is more frightening than to be divested of a crutch\u201d (James Baldwin).<\/p>\n
INDEPENDENCE, PROPERLY DEFINED, IS A STATE WORTH STRIVING FOR, BUT FRANKLY, IT REQUIRES MORE COURAGE AND INTEGRITY THAN WE MIGHT NOW POSSESS. Desiring \u201cto be released from an affliction\u201d is easy, as Baldwin suggests, but \u201cnothing is more frightening than to be divested of a crutch.\u201d Independence involves not only an enjoyable freedom but also a sobering responsibility.<\/p>\n
One popular misconception of independence is that it means complete self-sufficiency, without the need to depend on anyone else for anything at all. But if that\u2019s what independence is, then none of us will ever experience it. In the real world, nobody is self-sufficient, and we need to have the humility to confess that fact. If we can\u2019t see how often in the past we\u2019ve had to be helped by other people, we\u2019re either blindly arrogant or arrogantly blind. Like it or not, we all have needs that can\u2019t be supplied by the unassisted work of our own hands.<\/p>\n
Another misconception is that independence means absolute autonomy or self-rule. But again, in the real world this kind of independence is impossible. If we\u2019re looking for a life in which we don\u2019t have to be subordinate to the authority of any other person in any role or relationship whatsoever, we\u2019ll probably be looking for a long time. In the many different relationships in which we find ourselves participating, sometimes we have to lead and sometimes we have to follow. Truly independent people have the ability to follow as well as to lead.<\/p>\n
Independence simply means taking personal responsibility for our own lives.<\/em> As we grow beyond dependence, we quit expecting others to hand us happiness on a silver platter, and we begin paying more attention to our character than to our outward circumstances. This kind of independence is a huge step in the right direction for us. And yet, as desirable as independence is, and as preferable as it is to unhealthy dependence, independence is not the summum bonum<\/em> of life. Tomorrow, we\u2019ll talk about an even higher goal.<\/p>\n \u201cTrue independence of character empowers us to act rather than be acted upon. It frees us from our dependence on circumstances and other people and is a worthy, liberating goal. But it is not the ultimate goal in effective living\u201d (Stephen R. Covey).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n