The Real Blessing!

[07/04/2007 “teEn-MAIL”]

THE REAL BLESSING!

When a child is born into this world, they are totally DEPENDENT upon their parents to be fed, bathed, dressed, changed, and to get from place to place. As the child begins to grow the parents begin training the child in ways that help them develop some INDEPENDENCE. Those first steps -- for the child -- may be a bit scary, as well as the first time their parents let go of the bicycle allowing their child to balance themselves, but those moments of INDEPENDENCE are applauded by the parents. Then come the teen years when parents begin to get a little scared as their children want to exercise their INDEPENDENCE in clothing and hair styles, when to do certain things and choose where they want to go. Then comes the age of the driver’s license and more INDEPENDENCE that may be met with some apprehension by the parents, but with great excitement by their teen.

Is that all there is to our existence; a going from DEPENDENCE to INDEPENDENCE. INDEPENDENCE is heralded by some as the greatest thing one can achieve. Even today in the United States of America, July 4 is celebrated as “Independence Day” commemorating the formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 and INDEPENDENCE from English rule. However, are we truly INDEPENDENT as a country? No! The INDEPENDENCE of this country was achieved by the INTERDEPENDENT work of many. Today there remains an INTERDEPENDENCE on other countries for trade and we even have allies for defense. There is also INTERDEPENDENCE we have within our families and within the family of God.

Writing to the church at Rome, Paul stated…
“(3) For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. (4) For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, (5) so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and INDIVIDUALLY members ONE OF ANOTHER.” ( Romans 12:3-5 ESV)

Verse five in the New Living Translation reads… “so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we BELONG TO EACH OTHER, and EACH OF US NEEDS ALL THE OTHERS.”

Coming into this world we were totally DEPENDENT on others until we began to develop some INDEPENDENCE which gives us something to offer others in the give and take of our INTERDEPENDENT relationships. INTERDEPENDENCE combines our efforts with the efforts of others, our energy with the energy of others, our abilities with the abilities of others, our gifts with the gifts of others, and our talents with the talents of others. Besides the power and wisdom of God being a dynamic resource for our lives we need to recognize the vast resource our INTERDEPENDENT relationships also provide. Though there are things we ought to learn to do for ourselves so we can become contributors within our relationships, we must never lose sight of the importance of each other and the mutual blessing of INTERDEPENDENT relationships. Within the family of God we are individual members, but we also need to recognize how we belong to each other being a part of the same body. That INTERDEPENDENCE with one another benefits the whole body and enhances the work we are to be involved in under the Headship of Christ. May we experience the blessing of such togetherness.

Have a great day CELEBRATING LIFE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST!
Carl

See other teEn-MAIL on Relationships