Why do I bring this up? Because silos are tall structures... standing all by themselves... and doesn't this describe Americans (and even American Christians)?
Self Sufficiency: Dictionary.com defines it as
adjective
1.
able to supply one's own or its own needs without externalassistance: The nation grows enough grain to be self-sufficient.
2.
having extreme confidence in one's own resources, powers,etc.: He was self-sufficient, and always reminded you of it.
Isn't it what every american strives for? We don't want to rely on anyone. We want to be able to stand on our own. We don't want to take "nothing from no one." We make sure we have all our own gear for the sports we like. We "need" to have our own dvd collection, our own book collection, our own video game collection.
I understand this drive. I like having my own stuff. I enjoy the feeling of self-sufficiency. To stand on your two feet is inherently American. Believe it or not, this is not true of all other cultures. There are many cultures that put more emphasis on the group than the individual, sharing, caring, promoting, uplifting the group or family over any certain member.
Since I haven't been putting much Scripture to back my writings, let's ask a question: is this sort of self-sufficiency Biblical? In one sense yes. I do not want people pointing to this blog and saying, "See mom! He says I can stay with you guys till I am 35!" That is not what I am saying at all. We all need to have our own lives and not just live off of others like a virus.
So what am I saying? I am saying we try to take everything into our OWN hands. We want to rely on NO ONE but ourselves. We want to be able to say, "Don't worry, I've got everything under control."
This is not Biblical. In 1 Samuel and 1 Chronicles God punishes David for taking a census:
"And SATAN stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel." (1Chronicles 21:1, KJV, emphasis throughout)
But wait, why is taking a census wrong? As my Bible teacher would say, "think context!" In those days God literally fought the battles for Israel. He would even send an angel to wipe out the enemies of Israel on occasion.
So think through this. David counted Israel's fighting men because he wanted SELF SUFFICIENCY. He didn't want to have to trust God, he wanted to trust his own fighting force, his strength as king instead of on the all powerful God of his fathers.
Now let's look at the second passage:
Acts 2:44-47 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
It continues to say that people would even sell their houses and properties in order to help the poor. These Christians lived in true Christian community "to give to anyone who had need." They did not live in self-sufficiency, they stood as a group not a silo.
So why don't we do something like this as Christians today? When do we see ourselves willing to lean on someone else or allow someone to lean on us? How long has it been since you've seen someone actually sell something to they can help someone in a rough spot.
Now, to be honest, I hate when people point out a problem and then don't offer an explanation or solution. I promise to come back to you next post to continue this thought process. However, I want you to think through these ideas. Read the Bible passages and the verses around them looking for what God's heart for His community truly is. Read through the beginning of Acts and look at all the examples of the early church which was truly on FIRE for God and the poor. Then, I want you to think through your own position. Are you trying to make yourself self-sufficient? Are you willing to have to stand with (not on but with) other Christians. Are you willing to take a stand against self-sufficiency and allow God to support you? Please just meditate on this (and also maybe comment ya know, since I haven't had one yet :P ) and pray about it and see what the Lord says to you.
Thanks for reading,
-JustSomeThoughts
PS. Sorry about the random grey highlighter effect behind the font, something got messed up and I can't figure out how to fix it lol.
PS. Sorry about the random grey highlighter effect behind the font, something got messed up and I can't figure out how to fix it lol.
Many thanks to Alistair Williamson for the photo
2 comments:
I'll comment! I totally agree and completely fall into that category. We do our best to carefully build all these security nets all around us, failing to include others because we do not trust that anybody will truly catch us should we need them. Every time I go to an underdeveloped nation, I am struck by their dependency on each other and the JOY that they receive from it... And I realize that although we live in one of the most affluent countries in the world, we struggle with anxiety and depression and stress more than the poor of other nations. God created us for community, but it's terrifying to trust Him in it. I have watched the poorest of the poor drop their last tiny scrap of money into an offering plate, not knowing where tomorrow's food will come from... All to be offered to me, a rich American who obviously didn't need it... But they wanted to show me that they loved me and were willing to sacrifice for me. When have I ever given out of FAITH rather than excess? How much of God's heart are we missing by being afraid of doing this?
It's interesting because I was listening to a TED Talk today at work and the lady was talking about how, after 6 years of research, she discovered that true vulnerability leads to joy and happiness. It was interesting hearing this from a secular person when it fits into Christianity so well. God made us to be in community and not silos. We are meant to be vulnerable and co-dependant.
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