A few years ago I enjoyed a book and a short video entitled, One Man’s Wilderness. It was the story of Richard Louis Proenneke, who, in 1967, spent a year in the Alaskan wilderness in a cabin that he built with non-powered hand tools all by himself.
It’s a worthy read, and a fascinating story about self-reliance and individual achievements. He had accomplished all of this alone.
Well, up to a point. It seems that his friend, who piloted a small plane, would come in every few weeks to bring his supplies, including most of his food. That doesn’t take away from the story at all. I’m not sure I’ve ever met anyone whose practical skills matched his.
But his reliance on the outside help of a trusted friend and a very advanced machine called an “airplane” helps you realize that self-reliance in mankind has limits. And those limits teach us that sooner or later, we depend on other people.
It shouldn’t be necessary to say that, but it is. Because no matter how well we recognize the supply chain that keeps us in food or the societal structure that keeps us safe, we act, at times, and in certain areas of life, as if we are complete loners.
Maybe our pride takes over, and we begin to take credit for things that required the input and sacrifice of many, probably hundreds of people, to get us to where we are. Or perhaps our world has been shattered because we trusted the wrong person or people, and now can’t bring ourselves to trust anyone. We feel and act alone.
At times it’s good to take a look around you at the things which God has placed into your life, and indeed, the context into which He has placed you. Start small. Thank God for the workers who constructed your home, paved your street, and manufactured your car.
Then, thank Him for those who picked the coffee beans or the farmers who provided milk or eggs for your breakfast. In the mean time, summon thanksgiving for electricity, light, and air conditioning.
And if you truly want a dose of reality, just walk into a dense forest and imagine carving out a life for yourself with your bare hands. It’s a reminder not only of our interdependence, but of God’s grace.
Of course life in a fallen world has us interacting with certain people who will disappoint us, just as we will disappoint them. But rather than giving up, it’s probably better to get real about the alternative.
God’s blessings often come through intermediaries, but all is from Him. Psalm 65:9-11 helps us see how natural resources and the work of many create an inhabitable world and livable society:
“You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.
You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
you soften it with showers and bless its crops.
You crown the year with your bounty,
and your carts overflow with abundance.”
“Father, help us remember we are children, dependent upon you, and interdependent with others. Free us from pride and ingratitude, and help us thank you for your abundance. Amen.”