For “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
Last year, our daughter travelled alone to Kuala Lumpur to submit her student visa application. Many who learnt about it remarked how independent she is! Though she is independent in many things, she also knows to seek help in matters she needs support, advice, and assistance, especially from her friends and her parents.
Our lives as Christians somehow have the similar characteristics. When we come to Jesus in repentance and receive God’s forgiveness, we are free from the consequences of sin. We are “independent” from the slavery of sins. We are expected to make choices in life and choose holiness, obedience and walk in righteousness. We are “independent” to make godly choices. Yet, God is our Father. Our lives can never be sufficient in themselves. We cannot find everything we need and every resource we desire in ourselves. “For in Him we have our being”. We are to be dependent on God our Father for the resources we need in life. More than that, we can only find our identity, significance, purpose and destiny in the one who has created us.
No man is an island, as the saying goes. As Christians, we also need others in the Church. We need to support others and we the need the support of others in our journey of faith. We are called to be both independent and interdependent.
As I reflect upon the life of a nation, I tend to think that the similar principles apply. We rejoice in our independence from the colonial masters. Yet, for the nation to enter into her God-given identity and destiny, we need to be dependent on God. For true peace and prosperity to be experienced by our nation, the different races, religions, and ethnic groups in this nation need to learn to be interdependent on each other.