Debunking the Myth of Self-Sufficiency // Guest Post by Olivia White

I was scrolling through social media one day when these words stood out to me: “At the end of the day, we only have ourselves.”

They sat on my screen, masqueraded as a fluffy little life tip. I couldn’t imagine that anyone would actually believe–much less embrace–this view as a positive depiction of life.

Some people think there’s no one they can truly depend on, no one to trust in but themselves, and no one else to prioritize. Independence is what our culture values, but to an unhealthy extreme.

The concept of total independence is not only untrue but also caustic and corrosive, capable of isolating us from those we love and distancing us from the very source of life. For that reason, I couldn’t disagree more.

I Am Not Enough.

Don’t tell me I’m all I need. Don’t tell me I should be independent. Don’t try to convince me I can somehow find freedom and comfort in the idea that I’m all alone in this world, that at the end of the day I have no one to count on, no one to confide in, no one to trust with my thoughts, my soul, my life.

I’ve tried being self-sufficient, holding in all my emotions and all my affections, making it through life on my own.

It doesn’t work.

You want happiness? It doesn’t come from a special degree of loving yourself. You want peace? It’s not found in your own strength.

I believe in a God who created this universe and upholds it each day by his right hand. I know I was not designed to function on my own. I see the brokenness of the world and the failures of humanity, and I know I’m not able to fix it myself. I experience the pain and the beauty that can only be explained by a perfect God and an imperfect creation, and I know I am not, should not be, and cannot be alone.

Imagine this Possibility…

Imagine a world full of people working in harmony for each other’s good, united by one common purpose under one perfect, wise, and good King.

That’s what we were made for, and that’s where we’re headed by the grace of God through faith in Jesus.

We weren’t made to be alone. We were made to depend on God, and to love and to live with each other as fellow members of his creation.

Let’s stop claiming self-sufficiency. It’s nothing more than the product of our imaginations. Total independence is an illusion; to say we create our own worth is delusion. We already have worth, not because of our own efforts but because we are made in the likeness of God. We are his creatures, created with the ability to love and be loved by him. That’s where our worth comes from.

I am not enough. You are not enough. No one is.

And that’s okay.

Don’t Do Life Alone.

We were made to be in community. Friendship and fellowship are blessings we ought to desire, essential parts of an abundant life. As far as we are able, we should seek to pour love out on others, to share our hearts and lives, our hopes and dreams. With vulnerability comes risk, and with love comes sacrifice. But anyone who has tasted of its joys will know the blessing of community is worth the cost.

More importantly, we were made to be in a relationship with God. Jesus has bought reconciliation with God on our behalf through his own blood. How can we take that for granted? Why wouldn’t we make use of every opportunity to take all our burdens to him, give him our adoration, and hear him speak through his Word? How can self-sufficiency, our desire for independence, be important enough to keep us from being in a relationship with God himself?

Life could be going pretty great at the moment, but there will come a time when you can’t keep your head above the water any longer. In that moment, would anything be more valuable than to know all the promises he gave to his people are yours for the claiming–his presence, his love, his compassion?

Why, oh why, do we place our hope in ourselves?

Go look for community, find fellowship in a local church. Invest in others and be blessed as they invest in you. And if you don’t find it on first glance, keep searching as long as it takes. I know it’s hard… but I also know it’s worth it.

Seek the Lord while he may be found. Seek his grace in salvation, and keep seeking his grace every single day. Dwell in his goodness, get lost in his love. Soak in all the promises of Scripture, understanding them on the basis of who God is. Love him for it.

We’re not hermits, we’re humans.

And that’s a good thing.

Olivia Morgan White is a high school junior and a college freshman. In addition to writing regularly for The Rebelution, she dabbles in various genres, especially realistic fiction. You can find more of her writing at oliviamorganwhite.com or follow her on Instagram @livimuffin_11.

Thank you, Olivia!! Go follow sweet Olivia, guys! ❤ ❤ ❤