It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. Psalm 118:8 NIV
Girlfriends, in whom do you place your trust?
Seriously, think about it. Do you trust your spouse? Your parents? Your siblings? Your best friend? Your co-workers or classmates? Your teachers or pastor? Your dog? Yourself?
Trust No One
Many will say, "Trust no one." Looking at the world today, that advice seems sound. People disappoint one another at every turn. Infidelity, betrayal, and divorce are rampant. The news headlines today scream about Secret Service Agents engaging with prostitutes; parents stealing $1M from a disabled son's trust find; and classmates being DNA swabbed in efforts to find a 13 year old's killer. The only good news comes surprisingly from dogs in Los Angeles:
"A loyal Labrador Retriever named Maggie, who was videotaped as she guarded the body of a yellow Lab hit and killed by a car in Southern California, was reunited with her family today....Maggie's loyalty to the dead dog was so poignant and so risky that shelter workers nicknamed her Grace, as in "Amazing Grace." The video shows traffic speeding by just a few feet from the dogs."
Leave it to the dogs to put the "us" in "trust"!
Why Trust?
I have suffered the hurt and disappointment of broken trust. Sorry to say, I have also been the perpetrator of shattered trust. Can any among us claim otherwise? As today's Psalm tells us, God is the only One in whom we can have perfect trust...even our dogs will run away, chasing squirrels, birds, or one another, given the time and freedom!
Yet, I want to be a trusting person. Being married to law enforcement can challenge me in that area. Because he daily sees the evil face of human nature, my husband can make me edgy at times. Constantly reminding me to lock the doors, hang on to my purse, or face the entrance/exits in a restaurant, he fears for our safety because he knows what the psalmist wrote: our only true safe haven is refuge in the Lord.
Nonetheless, I fancy myself to be a genuinely trusting person. I believe in the goodness of man as created in the image of God. We know Jesus conquered sin on the cross and ultimately His Goodness wins. So I try to live life accrediting righteousness to the people I encounter unless otherwise shown. I guess I just do not want to live under the shadow of mistrust and skepticism all the days of my existence, which is the reason I could never do the job my husband thankfully performs. I do not want to acknowledge and face evil on this earth. I seek justice, yet I love grace and mercy.
For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Psalm 71:5 ESV
Do I Really Trust?
So, ladies, by now you may be wondering just why I have a photo of Mandisa and friends at the top of this blog for the Girls' Night Live Tour, and what does it have to do with trusting? (If you are not wondering that because my blog is so long that you have already forgotten what photo was at the top of the page, do not feel bad. My brain works that way too!)
Mandisa's music has been an inspiration to Joslyn through her pain and medical struggles. So a few weeks ago, my daughter invited me to attend this show with her. The performances sold out in a matter of minutes, and she had only gotten two tickets. When this past weekend arrived, we needed another ticket for either my mother-in-law or my best friend to also attend. Joslyn put out a message on the local Christian radio station's facebook page and soon received numerous offers. I texted a response and located a ticket.
Now, friends, here is where the trust part comes into play. The woman making this offer was so kind. She scanned and emailed the ticket to me without any form of prior payment or identification. She simply trusted me to mail her a check for the cost, which did not even include the fees she had paid by the way! She also told me that she was using a scanned ticket for the show the night before we were to attend and would let me know if she encountered any difficulties.
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. Luke 16:10
Now, you would think I would imitate her nature and mail that $20 check asap. After all, she modeled the trusting nature I admire and seek to claim. Unfortunately, a little voice crept in my head warning me to wait until after the show just to be sure the ticket was legitimate. Doubt. Apprehension. I could not even trust myself to be the trusting person I think I am.
Ugh!
Why?
Well, just that day, my daughter's friends had bought tickets from a man outside the Cardinals stadium for the 2012 World Series Champions' Home Opener game. When they reached the gate, they were told the tickets had already been scanned for admission. They had been scammed to the tune of $300. Another example of deception and dishonesty for worldly gain. That memory was fresh in my head.
A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper. Prov 28:5
Trust Anyway
Dictionary.com defines TRUST as "reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc, of a person or thing; confident expectation of something; hope."
Girlfriends, I want to trust. I desire faith and confidence in my family, friends, associates and the public. I regret that I doubted this sweet woman who placed her trust in me. (I mailed her a check including the fees in a thank you card for her kindness.) Yet, I also know that God is calling me to put in Him my ultimate faith and trust for salvation from this broken world. He is the Only One Who will never betray my trust in Him.
My prayer for you today is that you will spend some time reflecting upon "trust." In whom do you trust and why? Who trusts you and why? Do you trust in the Lord? Can the Lord trust you? Pray about it!
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 2 Samuel 7:28 NIV
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. Psalm 13:5
