{"id":1428,"date":"2017-07-01T21:53:25","date_gmt":"2017-07-02T02:53:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/?p=1428"},"modified":"2017-07-01T21:53:25","modified_gmt":"2017-07-02T02:53:25","slug":"independence-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/independence-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Independence From Most Things Is Laudable, Except Independence From God"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring<\/em><\/p>\n

Independence.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This is what we are celebrating as a country on July 4: our independence from the British Empire in 1776. And it was good that we became independent from the Crown: we were able to chart our own destiny in history and make one of the greatest, if not the greatest, country the world has ever seen.<\/p>\n

Along the same lines, if we can be independent from most people and things, it would be laudable. If we do not need other people or things for our livelihoods, our shelter, our sustenance, our stability, our happiness, and our inner peace, that would be amazing. It is likely what most people are trying to achieve in their lives: independence from everyone and everything.<\/p>\n

Yet, there is One from Whom we cannot be independent, even if we think it to be so: the Lord our God.<\/p>\n

We depend on God for the very air we breathe; the water we drink; the food we eat; and the life we live. We depend on God for the safety we enjoy, the love we get from those close to us, the happiness we enjoy with friends and family, and the smiles brought to our lives from every day situations.<\/p>\n

I know there are plenty who don’t believe in God and disagree with my contention. I respect their stance and beliefs. But, as a believer in God, I truly believe in our utter dependence on God. And the sooner we accept this, the sooner we can avail ourselves of His Power and Grace.<\/p>\n

God is so very close to us, as the Quran says:<\/p>\n

And if My servants as you about Me, behold I am near: I respond to the call of the caller whenever he or she calls unto Me. Let them, then, respond to Me and believe in Me so that they might follow the right way (2: 186)<\/h3>\n

The Quran also says:<\/p>\n

Now, verily, it is We who have created the human being, and We know what his innermost self whispers within him, and We are closer to him than his jugular vein (50:16).<\/h3>\n

Thus, it would behoove us to strengthen our bonds with Him and take advantage of a friendship that can never disappoint. The Lord has the dominion of the heavens and the earth in His hands, and thus it is common sense to me, as a believer, to avail myself of that dominion and seek whatever I need from Him directly.<\/p>\n

And the most beautiful thing is, the more we ask of Him, the more He loves it. And the more we are grateful for His bounty, the more He will give us:<\/p>\n

And [remember the time] when your Lord made [this promise] known: “If you are grateful [to Me], I shall most certainly give you more and more…” (14:7)<\/h3>\n

Yes, we are celebrating our independence on July 4, and one of the greatest things about America is her “fierce independence” and that of her people. And most time, true independence is laudable. But total dependence on God is neither a flaw nor a weakness. It is, rather, the greatest thing we can achieve in this worldly life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the Name of God: The Extremely and Eternally Loving and Caring Independence. This is what we are celebrating as a country on July 4: our independence from the British Empire in 1776. And it was good that we became independent from the Crown: we were able to chart our own destiny in history and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[9,848,849,120,6],"class_list":["post-1428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-american-islam","tag-god","tag-independence","tag-independence-day","tag-july-4","tag-quran"],"yoast_head":"\nIndependence Day: We Celebrate It Always, Even If It Is From God?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Being independent of most things is laudable, and it is one thing we are always trying to achieve. Except if it is from God.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Independence Day: We Celebrate It Always, Even If It Is From God?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Being independent of most things is laudable, and it is one thing we are always trying to achieve. Except if it is from God.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/independence-god\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Common Word, Common Lord\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-07-02T02:53:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/commonwordcommonlord\/files\/2017\/07\/3557f092-2b8b-48b1-95ef-63c7260dc291-12659-000018e5009db9af.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hesham A. Hassaballa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@GodFaithPen\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Independence Day: We Celebrate It Always, Even If It Is From God?","description":"Being independent of most things is laudable, and it is one thing we are always trying to achieve. Except if it is from God.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"nofollow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Independence Day: We Celebrate It Always, Even If It Is From God?","og_description":"Being independent of most things is laudable, and it is one thing we are always trying to achieve. 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Hassaballa","description":"Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Chicago doctor and writer. He has written extensively on a freelance basis, being published in newspapers across the country and around the world. He has been a Beliefnet columnist since 2001, and has written for the Religion News Service. He is also a columnist for Patheos. His articles have been distributed worldwide by Agence Global, and he was also a guest blogger for The Chicago Tribune and has blogged on ChicagoNow\" . In addition, Dr. Hassaballa has appeared as a guest on WTTW (Channel 11) in Chicago, CNN, Fox News, BBC, and National Public Radio. Dr. Hassaballa is co-author of The Beliefnet Guide to Islam (Doubleday), and his essay, \u201cWhy I Love the Ten Commandments,\u201d was published in the award-winning book Taking Back Islam (Rodale). His latest book, Noble Brother, is the story of the Prophet Muhammad told entirely in poetry, and it is now published in its second edition. In 2007, his blog \"God, Faith, and a Pen\" was nominated for a Brass Crescent Award for a blog that is \u201cthe most stimulating, insightful, and philosophical, providing the best rebuttals to extremist ideology and making an impact whenever they post.\u201d \"God, Faith, and a Pen\" has also received an award for being one of the \"Top Muslim Blogs for 2010\" by Awarding The Web. In addition to writing, Dr. Hassaballa helped found the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and currently serves on their board of directors. He also co-founded the Bayan H. 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