Dependence
"He must become greater and greater, I must become less and less."
The journey of dependence is long. arduous, and it will take everything from you.
God desires emptiness. Emptiness of self. Emptiness of motive. Emptiness of ambition, emptiness of this world.
When we think about the scripture John 3:30 “He must become greater, I must become less.” We don’t often think about what that may require of us. The most beautiful and tragic thing about scripture is that it is alive and breathing.
If that passage truly means what it says then we must become empty.
We must lay down our self sufficiency. Our desire to be overly ambitious, and kill our independence. Pride is my achilles heel. It is the first sin that makes its way out of my archive and into the light. And it must be the first thing to go. When I began really following Jesus, I realized very quickly this would require everything from me. Our pastor said it so well, she talked about what God can do with nothing, and I’d like to apply that to the same thing He can do with emptiness. When we are empty we have the ability to become full. Full of Him. Full of Christ.
When we look at the cross we see Jesus become empty for us. An offering on a wooden tree, a poured out vessel, a surrendered heart. When we cry out “Lord make us more like you.” we are asking for the cross. We were asking for the journey that it is to die. Die daily. Die to self. Die to pride. Die to our plans, our fears, and our worldly devotions.
The strength that Jesus had to stay on the cross came from His Heavenly Father. It came from dependence on the One who allowed Him to be there. It required a laying down of His self sufficiency because the cross was not something Jesus could do in His own without His Fathers strength.
The seasons that take the most of us mark us. They change us and they point us to the reality that we were made for Jesus. They show us the beauty and the pain of the cross, and then they offer us a choice.
Will we lay down?
Will we die?
Will we surrender?
Or will we hold on, grip tight to our way, and slowly miss the grace of God in our midst.
John 3:30
“He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
photo taken in Chicago, IL April 7th, 2026 words written December 4th, 2025