When we rely on others to repair or to service an appliance or a vehicle, we trust them to provide assistance with matters that we cannot ordinarily take care of ourselves. We are disappointed if the repairs or services are faulty or incomplete. But if we do not trust others, we have to try to accomplish everything ourselves, including tasks for which we might have little or no expertise. Reliance upon others is open to disappointment as well as fulfillment, whereas reliance upon God always has positive results.
Though we might not hold it as a consistent belief, we might sometimes act as though we could manage our lives with reliance upon no one, even God. Perhaps we become so intently focused on completing the careful plans we have made that we forget that there are variables in life that no amount of planning can take into account. Or, we could lose sight or our many past experiences demonstrating how well things work out when we rely on God for inspiration, creativity, courage and other qualities of mind and heart that enable us to do our part of both acting upon others and receiving from them. Finally, we might not recall how frequently, when we raise our concerns to God, the right persons come into our lives, some of whom we consciously seek for their help, and others whose gracious assistance we could never have imagined would appear.
There are specific situations where we have the knowledge and experience that are required, and where we do not need someone else to act on our behalf. But we are always interdependent upon others in order to fulfill our purpose in life. Nothing we do, on our own or in conscious active conjunction with others, is even worth completing unless it is in some way relational, somehow part of a whole that includes others. We are created for, and made capable of, love. And, much as we are to properly love ourselves, we cannot even do that without reference to those who have been and are now, part of our lives, including our Creator.
We teach children to tie their own shoes, eat food on their own, and eventually make their own way in life to the extent that they are able. But they, and we who once were children, participate fully in life by motivation and spirit not just words and deeds. We are always growing in both giving and receiving guidance and inspiration as to how and why we speak and act, as well as for what we do. This ongoing life of relationships that is ours is a consequence of being created by God who is relational. Everything in our lives can add to or subtract from the quality of our relationships and the fulfillment of our purpose in life.
When our practical reliance upon God’s love for us includes even the briefest of consultations in making decisions about others upon whom to rely in specific instances, all things work for the best.
