FOSTER CARE 16 JULY 2025 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition July calls to mind fireworks, backyard barbecues and everything red, white and blue. We throw hot dogs on the grill, jump in the pool and take a moment to reflect on what it means to live in a free nation. Whatever your opinion is of current events or politics, we can all agree America offers incredible freedoms. And many of those freedoms — freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom to gather — are rooted in truths that reflect the very nature of God. That’s something to be grateful for. I personally like to celebrate the Fourth of July with what I call an “Independence Burger” — a hot dog stacked right on top of a hamburger. Because, hey, we can do that in this country! And it’s delicious. But while we celebrate our national independence, I’ve been reflecting on a very different kind of posture God calls us to as believers: one of dependence. Redefining growth and success In our culture, success is often marked by autonomy. We’re praised for doing things on our own — paving our own way, figuring it out ourselves, not needing help. Independence is the goal. It’s baked into the American Dream. But in the Kingdom of God, success doesn’t look like self-sufficiency; in fact, it often looks like the opposite. Lately, I’ve been learning that real growth — especially as a follower of Jesus — comes not through becoming more independent, but through deepening our dependence. Childlike faith Jesus tells us in Matthew 18 that whoever wants to become great must become like a child. That’s not just about humility — it’s about recognizing our need. A child doesn’t pretend to have it all together. A child knows they can’t provide for themselves. That kind of dependence isn’t weakness; it’s an invitation to rely on the all-sufficient God. When we shift from striving for independence to embracing our need for God, we allow His strength to be made perfect in our weakness. We exchange hustle for rest, control for trust and anxiety for peace. It’s a paradigm shift, especially in a world that celebrates self-made success. But dependence is where spiritual fruit begins. Stuck in a hamper When I was around nine years old, my dad was getting ready to leave on a trip to Jamaica. I was at that age where I wanted to do everything on my own, to prove I didn’t need help. At some point that day, I stuck my finger into one of the small holes in our laundry hamper — and it got completely stuck. I panicked. Instead of calling for help, I hid. Embarrassed and afraid to bother my dad before his trip, I shut myself in my grandmother’s closet and tried everything I could think of to fix it. I even grabbed a knife and tried cutting my finger free — which only resulted in cutting myself. Eventually, my dad noticed I hadn’t come to say goodbye. He came upstairs, found me crying in the closet, and did what any good father would do. He gently cut a bigger hole in the hamper, freed my hand, cleaned my wound, and started me on the path to healing. That moment stuck with me. I was so focused on handling it myself that I missed the obvious: I had a loving father ready to help. All I had to do was ask. And I think that’s what God invites us into too. Whether you’re nine or ninetynine, we are children of God. We’re not made to muscle through life alone. When we stop hiding, stop striving, and simply call on our Father, healing and freedom often come quicker than we think. A firework and a pause So yes, go out and buy every firework on the shelf. Celebrate the gift of being an American and the sacrifice of those who made it possible. It’s a beautiful thing to honor. But in the midst of that celebration, may we also pause. May we remember John 15, “Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” That’s not a threat — it’s an invitation. An invitation to slow down. To stop striving. To come to God like a child. To embrace the freedom of dependence. Because in the Kingdom, dependence isn’t the opposite of success — it’s the path to it. Since September 2024, Andrew Holmes has been serving as the President of 4KIDS--a ministry that provides Hope, Homes, and Healing to kids and families in crisis. Learn more and catch the vision of a home for every child at 4KIDS.us. Hot Dogs, Hamburgers & Independence - Andrew Holmes - 4KIDS President
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