Independence

My parents tell me that I was an independent child. I always wanted to try things on my own. I would fix breakfast or lunch on my own from a pretty young age. Remember steakumm sandwiches. Not sure if they still make them or not. I was awesome at fixing those.

Why ask for help when I am able to do it, or at least attempt it. I was content shooting basketball on my own in the driveway. I was content riding my bike places instead of depending on my parents for transportation. I would ride miles to go to a friend’s house. It gave me a sense of freedom.

When I went to college I went 1300 miles away from home. I did know some people at the school. But there was something about the unknown that intrigued me. Getting away from family and friends did not seem to bother me. I thought of it as an adventure. Even as a 17-year-old when I decided on Indiana I knew it would work out. Being on my own did not seem to scare me.

In college things started to change, I started to form a community around me. But the pull of being independent was still there. It is hard to be in a community and still be independent. My freshman year in spite of the great friendships I made I was still very independent. It allowed me to still do the things that I wanted to do, whether they were helpful or harmful to myself or even my friends.

God was molding me and it hurt. People confronted me about my actions. People saw dangerous behavior in my life. At times I did not like what I saw in the mirror. I started to realize I had anger, that I was very prideful. My community was a good one and they put up with a lot from me. I am surprised they still like me by the end of the year, well; most of them still liked me.

I was finding my independence did not really work very well if I wanted to be a part of a community. There was something that had to change about me. But I knew it would not be on my own that I could change. It would have to be through Christ and as a part of my community.

This will be my first post in series on independence, freedom and community. Oh and by the way, Have a Happy Independence Day this week..