Independence

MON., JULY 4, 1994, 7:35 AM
FARM, STUDY

You feel that you may have received a Teaching with this title in some other year on this date. Sometime today, after this has been completed check your Tables of Contents volume and see if I have spoken on this day, and how alike they may be. I am One for reinforcement, certainly.

Independence. Though this is identified most often just as “the 4th of July,” its official name is Independence Day. It is a celebration, of course, of your country’s Declaration of Independence from the British Empire and, therefore, the beginning of a war for independence. This is usually seen, at least in today’s western culture, as a just war, for those who had sought independence from British and other European social pressures were now still a colony under British rule. And yet you do wonder what would have happened if there had been no war, or if the British had prevailed. Interesting speculation, but inconsequential.

Part of the motivation for this Declaration was the desire to worship Me, the Christian Triune God, in some variety of ways other than what was “standard” in England and “elsewhere.” Is fighting a war in order to be free to worship as you wish… or as I seem to be guiding you… a worthy effort? If I am responsible for some of that “independence spirit,” then I must say Yes to that question. You know I love diversity, and so I encourage it. And from this can come wars… and I must be, then, at least partly responsible. I accept.

But enough of history and historical speculation. The spiritual question is: how independent do I want you… each of you… to be? How much of a virtue is independence of spirit?

First let Me avow that I have allowed diversity in personalities and in cultures. Some cultures do not encourage independence, and some within these accept such restrictions almost without complaint. Whatever the culture there are personalities who are not seekers of independence. Thus, it is not appropriate to generalize about what “people” want and don’t want.

Fundamentally, however, in matters of spirit, I want you dependent on Me. Being independent of Me is not a desirable state… even as I leave some persons to wallow in this for a full lifetime. And then I’ll say that a main consequence of being dependent on Me… of walking this life’s faith journey with your hand in Mine… is that this empowers you to make independence in the other aspects of life.

One interesting example is Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12 Step groups in the same tradition. If you have become dependent on alcohol the chances are high that you are dysfunctional in other areas of life. Alcohol is a blessing that can become a curse for some persons. AA says… transfer your dependence to Me, and this shall give you the power to chuck the alcohol dependence. Dependence on Me is empowering rather than constricting. Dependence on Me gives you the strength to be independent in other ways.