Nothing Without God

As for God, his way is perfect:
    The Lord’s word is flawless;
    he shields all who take refuge in him.
 For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock except our God?
 It is God who arms me with strength
    and keeps my way secure.
 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
    he causes me to stand on the heights.
 He trains my hands for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You make your saving help my shield,
    and your right hand sustains me;
    your help has made me great.
 Psalm 18:30-35

I recently read a Facebook post about spirituality, but not religion. It posited that many people needed to be healed from some traditional or fundamentalism branch of Christian teaching. Parts of the article I agreed with, but one rubbed me the wrong way. The article stated, ” You need to be healed from: believing that you are nothing without God” The article labeled this as a false teaching. The truth is though, that we are nothing without God. Not that we don’t have agency, insofar as how much God grants us agency. We have limited agency because God created all humanity to have it. Yes, people try self-improvement, we take classes and get educated. We are not robots or ants in God’s great experiment, but our very breathing is because God created it and allows it. Our intellect? God gave it to us! Our creativity and ingenuity? Divine gifts and they are not evenly distributed to each person. Yes, we partner with how God created us to be to work towards our greatest potential. However, it is incredibly prideful to think what we have or who we are is of our own doing or by our own strength-absent of God’s involvement. Of course, this theological belief is distinctly a Christian claim. Our response should not be that we need to be healed from this poor teaching, but rather to be grateful for all God’s provision, good gifts, and “saving help.”

In Christ,
Rev. Elyse Milligan Nielsen