From the moment I first crossed paths with her, Tara Sun‘s heart after the good and right and true had me on my feet with gratitude! With daily devotionals, podcast episodes and other resources, Tara loves putting her arm around her online friends, gently encouraging them to keep walking faithfully. She thoughtfully breaks down God’s Word into understandable, relatable pieces, while also showing her beautiful creative side through her digital art. It’s an utter joy to welcome Tara to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Tara Sun

Think back to when you were a little child. I mean, how excited were you to grow up?

Isn’t it funny how when we are young, we can’t wait to “grow up” and be past the era of naps and early bedtimes? I remember two distinct moments in my growing up years when I felt I’d reached a significant milestone on the path to independence.

The first was when I finally could do a ballet bun in my own hair without my mom’s help—it might sound silly, but I had very long, thick hair, so it was a real challenge to do it on my own! The second was when I got my driver’s license. I had been driving tractors and my family’s cars around our property for years, so it felt like a long time coming.

Just hours after getting my license, I told (not asked) my dad that I was going to take a little drive up one of Oregon’s busiest freeways. I turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the driveway feeling like an absolute boss.

Now, it’s not wrong to drive on your own, think on your own, or work on your own. After all, I am one of the biggest advocates for learning how to be a hard, diligent worker and not living complacently like Proverbs 13:4 counsels.

And think of Colossians 3:23! “Work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” The life of a disciple is not well lived or stewarded for God’s glory if it is lived passively, carelessly, or irresponsibly.

The life of a disciple is not well lived or stewarded for God’s glory if it is lived passively, carelessly, or irresponsibly.

But in Jesus’ upside-down kingdom, we see there’s more to the story: working diligently and being responsible is one thing. But believing we are strong enough, powerful enough, and wise enough on our own to live our lives apart from God is another thing.

We weren’t created to be self-sufficient boss babes, but wholly dependent disciples.

This may just be one of the most countercultural messages I could share with you today. In a culture saturated with messages promoting self-sufficiency and independence, God’s economy and agenda sends a completely different message— one that holds the most promise, purpose, and fulfillment.

Every time we buy into the lie that we are self-sufficient beings apart from God, we believe that we do not need God’s empowerment or God’s lordship over our lives.

In Ephesians 2:8–9, Paul wanted the church at Ephesus to understand the lavish gift of God’s grace. Read it with me: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Did you catch that? The life we live and the salvation we’ve been given is not a result of our abilities or our own strength, but a work of God’s grace.

Paul couldn’t have made it clearer: It is not our own doing; it is the gift of God. What does this tell us? This tells us that we are completely dependent on God to save us and continue His work through us daily. Our salvation is a gift of God’s own goodness, not one that we can achieve for ourselves based on our own merit, efforts, or control. This grace is the opposite of autonomy, another way to say self-sufficiency.

We weren’t created to be self-sufficient boss babes, but wholly dependent disciples.

Self-sufficiency tells us that we can do it on our own, that we have the power and capability within ourselves to get the job done; grace tells us God has already done it.

Self-sufficiency suggests we can declare out loud the lives we want and see it come to pass from our own willpower; grace reminds us that everything is a gift from God.

Self-sufficiency is a form of pride; grace is our humble reality.

Perhaps you’re just like me—type A, and very organized, with an independent personality. Or perhaps you’re more type B—laid back, go-with-the-flow, very spur-of-the-moment.

No matter what category we fall into, we can all look to situations in our lives in which we have taken the steering wheel away from God because we thought we were capable enough. We thought, “I got this”, because we had a better idea of how the story should read than God. The road we chose may not have had too many potholes or U-turns along the way, but eventually we could see the road lines ahead of us blurring. We could sense that something wasn’t quite right.

Why?

Because we were never created to be self-sufficient. The truth of the matter is, God didn’t wire us that way.

We may stumble along, seeming to get by okay on our own merit, but we can’t expect to thrive. We were fearfully and wonderfully made to be wholly dependent disciples. And I’m here to tell you there’s nothing wrong with being reliant on or sustained by God. It doesn’t make you weak; rather, it makes you strong. It releases your chains of striving and performing. It gives you rest, knowing you don’t have to have it all together because you are held by a God who does. It opens your eyes to a life story you never thought possible because it’s not up to you; it’s up to the Creator of the universe.

So, what do you say, friend? Isn’t it time we all drop the act?

It’s time we stop striving for self-sufficiency and independence within ourselves. It’s time we stop fighting God’s perfect design and just rest in the reality that if He created us, He knows what’s best for us. It’s time we thank God for making us sufficient—not because of ourselves but because we’re connected to Him, covered by Him, and most importantly, saved by Him.

The more we depend on Him and rely on His sufficiency to sustain us, the more we will become like Him.

The next time you’re tempted to operate out of self-sufficiency, take a moment to pause. Bring yourself back to the beginning. If you’re in Christ, remember the gift of God’s grace through His salvation to you. Remember your life started in Christ solely based on what He did—not what you did. Not on our works but on God’s unmerited favor poured out. When we remember where we truly began with God, we can’t help but be dependent on Him. Because we are wholly dependent on God alone for our salvation, we are also wholly dependent on Him for today, tomorrow, and eternity.

Instead of beating yourself up for not being enough, thank God that He makes you enough. Thank God for giving you His sufficiency that promises to work in you and make you more like Him.

What a blessing it is to know that God never wants to leave us the same—the more we depend on Him and rely on His sufficiency to sustain us, the more we will become like Him. The more we will be set apart from the world. The more we will taste and see that His plan for our stories is far greater than what we could dream up.

The life we so desperately desire is nothing without the purpose and plans of the Lord. The abundant life in John 10:10 does not come from you and me grasping at control. It does not come from us insisting on our own way.

The full, abundant life available in Christ comes from surrendering our story at the foot of the cross. It doesn’t come by way of trying to control our way to freedom. It comes by way of realizing our need for Someone greater to write our story because we were not created to do it on our own.

And if you ask me, that’s pretty beautiful.

[ Our humble thanks to Thomas Nelson for their partnership in today’s devotional. ]