Independence...Earned or Given???

The answer is..."yes"!

Independence is both earned and given.

Maybe the more important question is, "Which one comes first?"

Is independence first earned or given?

When we talked about independence, whether it be of a country or a child, it seems the implication is often that independence is first earned.  We talk often about a child needing to prove they can handle independence.  We equate a country's independence with fighting for freedom.

While this sense of first earning independence might sometimes be the necessary method, it is not the best method.

True independence must first be given, then earned.

Dave Ramsey talks about this idea of independence using the analogy of a rope.  It goes something like this.

First someone (an employee, a child, a country) is given one end of a rope, while the person or organization that independence is coming from holds on to the other end of the rope.  Next comes the "earning".  The person given control of the end of the rope must perform and show they are worthy of their new found independence.  If they prove themselves worthy, the amount of rope will be extended (of course if they don't handle their independence properly, the rope will be shortened), resulting in more and greater freedom.

Let's be clear...the earning part of independence is important...but let's also not forget...it is imperative that the earning be preceded by a giving.