Holly: Trust is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot. What does it mean to "completely" trust someone? Are we too trusting, and what does that make of us?
To say that I had trust issues as a teen is a pretty fair statement. I mean, they weren't to the point that I couldn't even function in society, but more often than not I found myself wondering to myself about the hidden agendas of other people. I suppose that being bullied was a contribution to that. There were also some family issues going on that I'd rather not disclose. Even as a kid though, I was very shy (believe it or not). At times I was even called "too trusting" of other people, which, back then, was frowned upon. Insert the terms "naive" or "gullible" here...
So where do I stand today? I have to admit that I'm a little too cautious for my own good. I always lock my car at work (and I work in the middle of nowhere) and we always make sure the apartment doors are locked (even when we're all home). As Kevin said this morning in his sermon, we have become a society of suspicion...we are ALWAYS suspicious of what's going on around us. I have warmed up around people now, much more so than when I was younger, but I am always exercising caution in unfamiliar places.
To play the faith and follower in Christ card, lately I've been struggling with trusting God too. I suppose that being on your own and losing any and all forms of security (i.e. a regular, stable income, convenient food, and a place to live that you don't have to pay for) post-graduation from college will do that to you. Just the other day I made another phone call to home asking for money. I HATE worrying about money. I really do. That night I went to bed and wondered in my mind to God how we were going to make it through to our next pay day. Yesterday I received the card from home and inside it was WAY more $$ than what I had asked for! I asked God for a handful and He gave me an armful!
When will I learn to trust? I'm still learning. But today's sermon was a great reminder of such: I must trust God. I have been praised in the past for always being strong in my faith and I intend to continue down that path. It hasn't been easy. But God is still proving faithful. TRUST.
Kelly: Again I walked away deeply challenged. Like I posted on my facebook, I don't know what it has been about these past few weeks. Not that I'm saying the sermons in the past have been bad by any means...but these past few have been ESPECIALLY good!! Like Holly said, I used to have trust issues with people. Especially people who hurt me. Every now and then something strikes in me where I am caught thinking about "what if I did this/say that?" I never held grudges, but secretly distrusting others was in a way doing just that.
As it was said in church, you can't trust everybody. It's a sad truth. I remember growing up not even locking our house or the cars; we lived out in the middle of nowhere. It was something we never had to worry about. Then our house got broken into. Ever since then all the doors and windows locked, all the cars locked. And we live out in the middle of nowhere. I would be lying if I didn't say that when we were at home alone, I would watch an on-going car to make sure it didn't stop in the road. Much truth was said at church; our society trains us to be suspicious. Can't trust anybody.
Having said that, there are those I can always trust, no matter what. I will now use an example from Lord of the Rings. Yes, we recently became fans; I don't want to hear it!!!! We lived in the middle of nowhere! There was a scene in which Sam and Frodo were on their way to Mordor to destroy the ring, and they were led by Gullum...a hobbit-like creature. The ring, which he referred to as "The Precious," caused him to have a split personality and caused him to become a very disturbed individual. Smeagol, his friendlier personality, would often fight with Gullum. Anyway, because of a minor twisting of the truth, Frodo eventually left Sam and continued on with Gullum/Smeagol. However, Frodo eventually discovered Sam was right; Gullum wanted the ring for himself. It just amazed me how much the truth can be twisted by only a few words. And people believe it...ALL THE TIME. So it leaves with the question; who can we trust? I know my answer. Sometimes I don't always behave in a way that is pleasing to God, but I do my best. It's not easy. Just worth it.
In the meantime, what shall we do? What can we do about overcoming a distrusting world? The answer is simple; know yourself. Other than God, you know yourself better than anybody. Ask yourself; is this REALLY true? If you don't know, ask the source. It's better to put out the flames than continue to fuel them. Holly and I were talking about this last night. Second, find someone you can trust. If it isn't God, then I pray you will/do have someone you can trust. I will leave with this. Also, LOVE. In a song I know, one of the lines is "You can never love too strong." I find this to be very much true. If you can love others, then they will love you in return. If they love you, they can trust you. But you have to love and trust yourself too.
"Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:7
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