Is Independence really everything it’s cracked up to be? Possibly not.

Imagine you are a musician playing in an orchestra. If everyone sat down and independently started playing her own instrument, it would sound awful.  Everything would sound chaotic and unrehearsed, and even the best musicians in the world would get drowned out by the commotion.  Likewise, if only one person played her instrument at a time, it would sound like something was missing.  There would be holes of silence in the song that would make that musician’s music feel empty.

That’s why orchestras have conductors.  The conductor leads everyone in the group to play in perfect sync with each other.  He determines the tempo, the volume, everything.  Each musician may be playing independently of the other, but all are dependent on the conductor.  They shake when he says shake and beat when he says beat.

And that’s how great music is played.

In our culture, Independence is more than a day we celebrate in July. It’s a lifestyle we aspire to. Once you have achieved “independent woman” status, you have finally arrived.

However, to be truly independent means that you are “not influenced by the thoughts or actions of others.” That sounds great, right? But the problem is that other people exist. And while we can barely control ourselves, we certainly cannot control the actions of others, therefore we cannot and will not ever be truly independent.

But, don’t worry; that’s not such a bad thing. Independence is much too fragile to withstand Life, and the danger of independence is that it forgets about The Conductor.

The very thing that makes independence what it is is that it stands alone.  It has no outside variables to factor into the equation.  Only if you lived in a bubble could you be truly independent, because, let’s face it, other people interfere with our lives every day.  Careless drivers rear end us on the highway.  Family members disappoint us.  Politicians mislead us.

It may seem that independence is the ultimate goal, but when we dig deeper, we realize that the goal that provides the most freedom of all is not independence but dependence on God.

Many of you are familiar with Proverbs 3:5-6:

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

But I love the way The Message paraphrases the familiar passage as well:

Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.

There are 3 things that dependence on God can give you that independence cannot:

1. Companionship

Independence is very lonely. You are wired to be a relational being. God provides companionship that never ends, never deserts you, and never disappoints you.

2. Comfort

When life is at its worst, where does independence turn? To no one and to nowhere. But with dependence, you have a solid fortress to which to run and a steady shoulder on which to cry.

3. Conviction

Independence leans on an unreliable foundation for truth – namely self. It shifts, sways, and develops weak spots as circumstances arise. But dependence on God provides an unchanging standard through which to filter every decision.

This month, why not mix things up a bit. Celebrate Independence Day with your own “Declaration of Dependence.” Throw out the goals of “on my own” and let independence go up with the fireworks.

What other benefits of dependence have you experienced?