I pride myself on being a pretty independent person. I can explore a new city and not get lost, and live away from my friends and family without missing them too badly.
I'm realizing, though, that independence is not so great as our American culture makes it out to be. As I'm working through the support-raising process, I'm seeing how much I need the people around me as they commit to walk with me in this amazing thing God has called me to do. I'm constantly reminded of my insufficiency in and of myself. The books I've been reading in preparation for the Middle East have been reinforcing this idea in me, too -- talking about how Middle Eastern cultures are naturally more communally-minded, as opposed to our Western individualism. People grow together and take care of each other in Eastern cultures, and there is beauty in that. We can look at that and learn about how the church should be; a place of interdependence as we love and learn and grow closer to God together.
I'm so excited to get to the Middle East and continue learning from their culture about how I can be a better follower of Christ. I am so thankful that God has new things that he delights in teaching me and showing me every day.