Created to be Dependent

Our human nature screams out to be independent.   From the very first several months of life, children want to do things themselves.   We all enjoy the feeling of accomplishing a task independently.   It gives us a certain satisfaction to complete something all by ourselves, but often we forget to acknowledge that our ability to accomplish those tasks came from the Author and Creator of Life.  

God created us to be dependent beings.   We have a natural void in us that longs to be filled with something, a void which God created for Himself to fill.   Because we are innately sinful, we rebel against this idea of needing anything or anyone, especially God.   The idea of needing God or being dependent on God offends some people. They don't want to admit that they are dependent, or as Matthew chapter five, verse three says “…poor in spirit…”, so they begin to search out other ways to fill their voids.   Some people fill that void with materialistic things, some with activities and others with family and friends.   Whatever they fill that space or void with, they use those things to replace God in their lives.

We are reminded in John chapter fifteen, verse five that “… If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. ”   We are created by God to be dependent on Him.  

Creating in our children a focus on their dependence on God rather than their independence can be a real challenge especially since we often have a hard time doing this ourselves.   It is difficult getting their attention off themselves, off their peers and guiding their focus to be on Christ.   We see time and time again in scripture where God allowed the Israelites to go through hardships to bring them to a realization that they were dependent on Him.   Creating opportunities with our children to teach them their dependence on God, we can:

•  Use hardships in our lives to discuss how God strengthens us and gets us through them.

•  Be thankful to God openly for opportunities to learn from everyday circumstances, difficult or easy.

•  Humbly acknowledge our dependence on God because He is the Author and Sustainer of Life.

•  Realize that God created us with a need to know Him, to fellowship with Him and to worship Him.

•  Help our children realize that because God created us, we have a responsibility to Him in our actions, thoughts and words.

•  Spend time reading the Bible with our children and telling them what God is teaching us in our own Bible study.

•  Help them create a habitual quiet time to seek out what God has to say to them through His word.

•  Pray, pray, pray and pray some more. The more time we spend with God, listening, not just talking, the more time we will spend without worry because we can be assured that God will meet all our needs.

Helping our children realize their dependence on God is the key to helping them experience a successful life and relationship with God.

Lori's Bio

Lori has been writing the Kiddie Korner for HeartBeat the Magazine for over a year and is working on her first novel. She is currently living in the Lexington , Kentucky area with her husband, Joel, and their two children, Rachel and Benjamin. In her spare time, she enjoys scrapbooking, crocheting and singing with her husband at church. This past year Lori decided, at the Lord's urging, to use her passion for crocheting and teaching to start a Prayer Shawl Ministry at her church. Whether it's a prayer shawl she crochets, a song she sings or an article she writes, it is Lori's continual hope that all will glorify God and minister His love and words to those who receive them.

You may contact Lori at: braswellfamily@gmail.com