Denton County Living Well Magazine September/October 2016 | Page 40

On Fire
But Not Consumed

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By Michelle Wallace
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live in a culture of dependency. This
isn’t an indictment on anything or anyone.
I don’t have room to judge. I have been
dependent on everything the world has
to offer at one time or another. And I do
mean everything. I could name it all—drugs, relationships,
food, money; but there’s not enough room on the page. A
friend recently admitted she’s in a co-dependent relationship with her ex-husband. She’s reading a book to help
identify what’s keeping her stuck and the author describes
how these relationships are like a drug. My friend is an
addict who needs to be set free. Our biggest struggles as
individuals or groups of people are usually a result of unhealthy dependency.
As I write this, there are politicians in every party promising
to fix the problems we face. There is something to be said
about holding out hope for our nation. Real and strategic
solutions are needed to govern in this hour. However, if we
put our confidence in these people to bring true and lasting
peace, we will most certainly be disappointed.
It’s not only government, we’ve created a culture of dependency in the church. I’m not sure where you are spiritually, but when I was very young, trying to fill the void
with all the aforementioned and unmentioned drugs, I
met a woman named Vivian McBee. She taught Bible
study in the church I attended. Yes, I attended church,
sometimes still drunk from the night before. Wh