“We Can’t Depend on Ourselves”
“We can’t depend on ourselves.” This statement was made in a recent interview by Michael Osterholm, the head of the Center for Infections Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. This statement was made in reference to what America would do if a true pandemic came about. “We can’t depend on ourselves” he said.
The funny part of this story to me is that pandemics occur everyday in some form or another. They happen through the recent rising climate of job layoffs. They happen through divorce or death. Through addictions and poverty. Through debt and acts of hate. A pandemic occurs every moment in all the world. So really the answer to the question is given everyday. It is given in the way we handle stress. It is given in the way we treat one another. It is given in the way we sacrifice for someone. It is given in the way we live. And Mr. Osterholm is right, ‘we can’t depend on ourselves.’
If this statement is true, then who or what do you depend on? You cannot live life alone. You cannot survive alone. You cannot overcome hardships or celebrate victories alone. So if we can’t depend on ourselves, then who or what do we depend on?
April 28th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
This is very much like the question of “who do you follow”, isn’t it? My puppy depends on me for food and water, and when she is hungry, she follows me. My children depend on me for guidance and love, so when making decisions or reacting to the world, they follow in my footsteps, do as I do or even come to me for advice. It is very much the same with the people I admire or respect and certainly it is the same with my desire to follow the Lord. When I am hungry or thirsty for the Spirit, I follow him. When I need guidance and love, I follow him. When making decisions or reacting to the world around me, I go to him for advice or try to do as he would do. I also rely on the beautiful community of people around me for support, guidance, advice, love and friendship because they are an extension of my Lord’s hands, feet and words. Ultimately though, it is the Lord who sees me through, whether through a direct relationship with him or through the people in my life who are a reflection of his love.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Thanks, Patty, for sharing in such a beautiful manner the thoughts and lifestyle of many of us. Thank God there is someone on whom we can depend and with whom we can walk life and follow without fear of being led down a primrose path. Thanks, Mitch, for reminding us that depending on “me” to take care of things is futile and frustrating, at best!
May 5th, 2009 at 11:14 am
AMEN SISTA!!
Amazing Words…So True!