I once heard Pastor Ed say something that stayed in my mind like a seed that refuses to stop growing. He said, “Let’s try our best to be independent because once we are hungry it’s easy to surrender our rights.” The more I thought about it, the more I realized how painfully true this is. When your stomach is empty and your pockets are too, the power to choose gets smaller and smaller until it almost disappears. Hunger does not only push you to eat whatever is offered, it can also push you to agree to whatever is demanded.
When you are penniless and you need money, the risk of becoming someone’s slave is not a poetic idea. It is a real danger. This slavery might not come with chains or prison cells. It can look like smiling politely while your dignity is being chipped away, because you know that without this person’s help you would have nothing. That smile is not joy. It is survival. And it is exactly the kind of survival that slowly makes a person forget what true freedom feels like.
That is why being economically active is more than a career choice. It is an act of self-respect. To produce, to create, to work, and to earn your keep is part of defending your freedom. When you have your own, you decide what to do with it. You do not need to nod your head at every command just to keep the flow of money coming. You do not have to weigh your values against your rent payment. You can afford to say no when no is the right answer.
It is easy to romanticize the idea of being carefree and living without thinking about money. But the truth is, when you do not have anything, someone else will always have power over you. They may not say it directly, but they can control you by controlling what you need. Food. Shelter. Safety. Opportunity. All of these can become tools in someone’s hand if you are dependent on them to provide it. They can wave it in front of your face like a reward you must earn, and you will have no choice but to play by their rules.
Avoiding neediness is not about pride. It is about protecting your decision-making power. A person who can meet their own needs is harder to manipulate. This is why Pastor Ed’s words are more than motivational talk. They are a reminder that freedom is not only a matter of laws and rights. It is also a matter of what you can afford to walk away from.
Economic independence begins with mindset. You cannot wait until someone rescues you from your situation. That rescue might never come, and if it does, it may come at a cost you cannot afford. Instead, you must see your ability to work, learn, and create as your own rescue plan. Even small, steady efforts toward earning and saving give you more strength than you think. Every dollar you earn through your own work is a brick in the wall that protects your freedom.
Many people underestimate how fast desperation can take away the ability to stand firm in their values. Imagine someone offers you a job that pays well but requires you to do something dishonest. If you have no other options and bills are due tomorrow, how easy would it be to say no? Now imagine the same situation, but you have savings, or another income stream, or a skill that can earn you money quickly. Suddenly you can reject the offer without fear of losing everything. That is the power of preparation.
This does not mean you have to become rich. Richness is not the same as independence. You can have modest means and still live freely if you manage what you have wisely and avoid placing your survival in someone else’s hands. In the same way, you can have a lot of money and still be trapped if that money depends on pleasing a person who has no respect for you. True independence is about control over your source of livelihood and the freedom to walk away from toxic situations.
There is also a spiritual angle to this. The Bible warns against the love of money, but it also encourages diligence, stewardship, and providing for your household. These are not selfish goals. They are ways of ensuring that you are not a burden to others or a puppet for those who would misuse their power. Work is not just about making a living. It is about honoring the life you have been given by using your abilities to sustain yourself and even help others.
The truth is, when you have your own resources, you can give freely without fear of losing your stability. You can help family and friends without becoming dependent on their approval in return. You can say yes out of kindness, not out of obligation. You can serve God and people from a place of strength, not from a place of desperate need.
We live in a world where the cost of living keeps climbing and opportunities can feel unevenly distributed. But the principle remains: the more control you have over your own provision, the less control others have over you. This might mean learning new skills, starting small businesses, investing wisely, or simply being disciplined with what you earn. It will not happen overnight, but every step forward makes you a little freer.
Pastor Ed’s words are a sober warning, but they are also an encouragement. If you are in a season of financial struggle, you are not powerless. You have something to offer. You have abilities that can grow into opportunities. The journey to independence may be slow, but it is worth every effort because what you are really building is not just wealth, but the right to live according to your own convictions.
And when you get there, you will discover that freedom tastes even better when you earned it yourself.
