Independence and Independent

1 Corinthians 11:1-12
 ¹Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.  ²Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.
 ³But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.
 ⁴Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head.
 ⁵But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved.
 ⁶For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head.
 ⁷For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.
 ⁸For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man;
 ⁹for indeed man was not created for the woman's sake, but woman for the man's sake.
 ¹⁰Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
 ¹¹However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.
 ¹²For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God. 

When I started thinking about what to write today, I started thinking about independence, because, as you know, Sunday is America's Independence Day.  So I looked up the word independence in the Bible.  Not one verse has that word in it.  Interesting.  So I looked up independent.  I found one verse.  One.verse.  Verse 11 of 1 Corinthians 11.

So then I started reading the verses before and after, to get a sense of what the writer is trying to say and what God wants me to get out of it.  The very first verse of this chapter says we are to be imitators of Christ.  then it goes on to say that we should hold to traditions.  Then Paul tells us that God is our originator, Christ is over man, and woman originates from man.  But that eleventh verse says that in the Lord, neither man or woman is independent of each other.  Then why do we try to be?

Why do we always want to do things ourselves?  Okay, I am the first to admit that I am a bit of a loner.  I don't mind being alone.  In fact, most of the time, I don't mind doing my own thing and going quietly about life.  But that is not God's plan.  God wants us to depend on each other.  He wants us to be able to say, "Hey, I need you."  God wants us to know that we need him and need to depend on him.

Independence is fine for a country, but not for an individual.  Being independent as a person will not bring you anything but loneliness and sadness.  You may get to do what you want, but humans need interaction and companionship.  Sometimes being alone is great!  Last night for instance.  My rib was hurting, and I just wanted to be left alone, so I went into my room, put my Ipod in my ears and read for two or three hours.  Tonight, I get to be with my friends at choir practice.  It's all about what is needed.  Don't be totally independent, don't be all about everyone else.  But listen to your attitude, your mind, your soul.  You will tell yourself what you want and you need.