Dependency.

Dependency. It's something we so often fool ourselves into thinking we don't need. We go day by day running on our own strength. Feeling like the world is ours and nothing can hold us back. But then it happens...we have a bad day and we find ourselves wishing we had someone, anyone to lean on. The Bible is pretty clear that we need others to help hold us up.

"Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety."

Proverbs 11:14

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work; If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Some people struggle with this, and some people (like me) maybe don't struggle enough. Dependency on others. It's a balancing act. Sometimes we lean on others a little TOO much. Once in a while I find myself depending solely on others and not nearly enough on my God. Which is terrible, because God has more capacity and power to hold me up than everyone on this planet combined. Several weeks ago I was sitting in church and my pastor said something that got me thinking one question to myself...

"Why do I depend so much on others?"

I thought of more than one reason. Others give me confidence, others make me feel secure, others give me good advice...but most of all, I find myself depending on those who lead me to Christ. Funny, isn't it? Depending on others more than Christ because they point me to Christ. It was an odd thing to think about. I go to others first because they give me godly advice. I go to others first because they remind me of how God wants me to act. I go to others first because they have a Christ-like character. BUT...I rarely go to GOD HIMSELF first. For so long I have been using godly friends as a mediator to reach God. I don't know if this makes a lot of sense, but for me it was a wake up call. People come and go, but we can always keep with us what they taught us. Even the best of friends disappoint and they aren't always around, but if the reason we were so dependent on them in the first place was because they pointed us to Christ...we can hold onto that forever.

We all need to have a little dependency on other godly friends, but that dependency should never be placed above our dependency on God! We need to go to Him first with everything...and friendships should always be so Christ-centered, that no matter what happens we should always be able to look back and see all the ways Christ used that person to grow us.

Just a thought.

=)