DEPENDENCE DAY

We have only one holiday in America that is most commonly known only by its date. Almost exclusively I find myself calling it The Fourth of July rather than Independence Day. Even when the Monday falls on something other than the fourth, the holiday is still referred to as The Fourth Weekend.

I am glad that for the most part we still call most holidays by their names: Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving Day, National Day of Prayer, and (dare I say it) Christmas and Easter (or Winter and Spring Break). The names help to remind us of what it is we are to Remember, or to whom and for what we are Thankful. But I wonder if we have forgotten the meaning of Independence Day, as we have forgotten the name?

Any advanced civilization is highly interdependent. My family, for example, does not grow a single bite of our own food, do not supply our own heat or power, and are not self-sufficient by any means. As a nation, too, we are extremely dependent on the Middle East for oil, on the Far East for cheap labor, and on technology for, well, everything.

Our dependence on technology is, let it be known, our greatest strength and also our Achilles' heel as a nation. If an enemy were to devise a way to remove all of our digital equipment in a single moment, we would be crippled. All computers would no longer work (no more daily blog!), including those in our vehicles, at our power plants and water works, in our telephones, ATM machines and every other means of transferring money, and in virtually every store and gizmo made in the last twenty years. In fact, our army is well outnumbered by several others. Our only advantage over other military forces is our technology, which is supported by our strong economy.

Do you think that an enemy would dare to attack our technology, our military and our economy if it were in their power to do so? Of course they would. It would be better than flying planes into the World Trade Center, and far more symbolic. Perhaps most symbolic of all would be to do this nefarious act on the day in which we celebrate our self-claimed independence. Perhaps this year? Perhaps as late as next year?

What will our city be like with no electricity, no water, and no TV or radio communication? We would instantly discover just how Dependent we are. Maybe we are not so Independent, after all.

Am I ready? I cannot get ready in a physical sense. Not living where I do. But am I ready for the chaos and the panic and the violence of my culture when the day arrives? Will I prove my faith by my reaction to my hardship? Will I find hope beyond this life?

"LORD, today I declare my absolute Dependence upon You. I remember that I am but dust, and that You alone are my Maker and Sustainer. Yeah, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Amen."
-ker