We live in a society where one of the most prized virtues we have is indepence. But I will say that I am not an independent person. I do things without coaxing, I do not feel that I must have the support of another person constantly, I do not feel that I must follow the trends and actions of others, but I am not independent.

We feed our selves several times through out the day. We eat and drink and give nourishment to ourselves each day and think nothing of it. But the body is a small part of who we are. Like everone else I love good food and good drink, but I love good company and stimulating conversation.

We depend on the social interactions we have with others to complete who we are. We are the sum of our actions and inter-actions with others. Each time we meet a friend we leave a peive of ourselves with them and the same is true for us. We are constantly shaping ourselves and those around us. We need these time to complete who we are. We have these conversations and inter-actions and they feed and nourish our minds, intelects, and perceptions of self.

I feel that the part of ourselves that we starve is our souls. When did you last feed your soul? I depend on moments of prayer, solitude, and repentence to give me what I need to live. I'm sure some of you recoiled at the word repentence, and that is understandable, it is often misunderstood. Before I explain my dependence on repentence let me explain the most obvious first.

I depend on prayer, I feed on the interacion between myself and my Lord to give me strength and understanding. I MUST have this inter-action. I speak to Him and he listens, though he does not in word speak back, knowing that I was hear brings me the greatest comfort. I know that my concerns, joys, thoughts, and even the moanings of my soul which I have no words for were heard. The act of speaking and being heard is so profound of an experience, that I simply do not have words for it.

I depend on solitude. In this I listen to my Lord. There was once a time when the prophet Elijah hid in the wilderness from a cruel king that sought to kill him. While he hid in a ravine a storm rose up and the the wind howled, but the voice of the Lord was not in it. Then The lightning crash and shook the earth, but the voice of the Lord was not in that either. When the storm abated and the rain stopped there was silence and peace, it was then that the Lord spoke. In Life we are so distracted by all of the goings and comings and we try to hear something in the din of our lives when we WANT to hear it. When I am alone and open, I think about all that has happened in my life lately and what is happening right then, in the purity of that moment and in that the Lord speaks to me. Not in words, but in understanding, I see what he had been trying to tell me over the course of times past, and is seeing that I understand where to go next. I depend on it.

I depend on repentence because in this I find forgiveness and I remove the burden of my heart. Here most look and say, "well if you didnt beleive in some harsh demanding God that just wants to punish you, you wouldnt have that problem". I understand that He loves me and wishes for me to be free of guilt and persecution. I see everyday that he makes the road straight and provides for my every need. I know that everyday I let him down. I take his name in vain or dont love my neighbor, or even lie to a friend. It is like having a father that you know loves you in ways you cant understand, ahd him saying its ok when you mess up. Repentence is saying to God, "Dad I disapointed you, and I know that I did, but I know no matter what you still love me, and I love you." It is here that we admit hey we cant do all the stuff he wants us to do, we know it! We really try. It is in this moment that God want you to just a little, depend on him, just ask to be forgiven and let him pick up the peices. In that we let down our guard, just a little and let his love in.

I depend on this. I depend on these things to make me who I am. What do you depend on, it makes you what you are.