Bus #3: The American Way

One thing I've always taken pride in is in attempting to have the strength to handle whatever comes my way. It's a common American theme, that of self-reliance, of picking oneself up after getting knocked down, of accomplishing anything if you just work hard enough, of not needing anyone. My youngest daughter says it best when in anger she takes whatever I have in my hands that I'm trying to help her with and shouts at me, "I do it myself!" She, I, and the collective American spirit all maintain that we can handle whatever comes our way.

It's all lies. Big ones. It's a goal set that sets us all up for failure. It also did those Israelites in from time to time in the books of the minor prophets, and this "bus" of self-sufficiency is one of the many in front of which I commonly throw myself.

One fact is inescapable, no matter how much I try to ignore it: I am not God. That pretty much rules out all delusions of sovereignty, thrusting me into a world of whirlwinds that I attempt to control all on my own. If life were a school project, and I was given the option of working alone or working with a partner, I would constantly choose to work alone. I'm that stubborn D student who knows just enough to not totally fail and whose pride won't allow me to accept the partnership offered by the smartest kid in the class. "I do it myself!" I yell into the whirlwinds.

The book of Amos lays out how well that works for those attempting whatever it is they are attempting, alone:

"Therefore flight shall perish from the swift,

The strong shall not strengthen his power,

Nor shall the mighty deliver himself;

He shall not stand who handles the bow,

The swift of foot shall not escape,

Nor shall he who rides a horse deliver himself.

The most courageous men of might

Shall flee naked in that day." (2:14-16)

The most discouraging aspect of that passage is that we're talking about the best of the best in terms of natural talent. This isn't about the weak, the poor, the helpless; this is about the swift, the strong, the mighty, the courageous. I am none of these things. Middle of the pack, maybe, but certainly not ready for the Top Gun school of tough guys. If the most talented are screwed on their own, I can only imagine how little I am able to fight alone, without the Sovereign one.

The book of Zecharia weighs in as well. If I want to accomplish anything of substance, anything lasting, anything worthy of my calling; and if I want to survive drought, famine, devastating loss, and potty-training my kids, then it must be "'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts." (4:6)

This bus has run over me so many times, I almost feel more comfortable in front of it. It's an act of quiet desperation, but it's a familiar one, and it's seen as honorable in our culture. Familiar or not, honorable or not, it's never taken me to success before. That, I've come to realize, only comes when I partner up with the Honor Student and let Him do most of the work.