| Subject: TRUST |
Author:
tim
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Date Posted: 09:53:04 10/18/08 Sat
In my work with people who have been traumatized by horrific acts of violence, what is strikingly clear is the pronounced lack of trust that permeates their lives. You might say, well it is a natural thing for people who have been violated to be careful not to let their gaurd down and trust anyone. It is understandable that these people would have a hard time trusting anyone, just look what happened when they did!
Unfortunately people can spend their entire life looking sideways at anyone who comes near them. Without learning to trust others, we become jaded, hardened and insensitive. We can get to the place where we see the whole world as our enemy! We spend our lives thinking the worst about those around us. It is evident and almost justified for those who have been damaged by others to 'trust no one' and in fact the Bible is clear that we are not to put our trust in man, but we are to instead put our trust in God.
But, what we see over and over again in working with traumatized individuals where this 'trust no one' stance is taken, is how damaged people, who can't learn to trust others to help themselves are often in effect biting the hand that God has ordained to help them. And because of their inability to trust they are staying in a never-ending cycle of pain and terror.
God puts people in our life to help us face our own insecurities. The question is, will we trust God and accept His help when it comes? Will we accept the people who have been placed in our lives? It is a balance. We are not to blindly follow others. And those who are put in authority over us, at home, at work and in positions of leadership in our government, can be wicked and ruled by evil devices as evidenced by many, many historical accounts in our collective history and in each and everyone's own personal life history.
What is interesting for me this morning, as I reflect on our nations paranoia over this war, the price of oil and the perceived wickedness in high places, is that we all need to take a lesson from the Bible as it pertains to trusting God and not man to save us!
It is a reality that we all have been betrayed by our spouses, our children, our parents, our governmental leaders and in fact each of us has taken part in betraying others in our lifetime. You are only lying to yourself if you think you have not. But to point our fingers and blame the other person for the problems in our life, or in our world, is to miss the entire point of our existence.
Jesus came to show us that love is the answer and that love forgives. In the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians is the complete antedote for all of our pain and all of our suffering. God has ordained it for all of mankind and the reason there is still conflict in our world is that not all have come to accept and receive the antedote. God showed us His love for us by giving us His only Son, who came to dwell among us in earthly flesh to show us the Way that leads to Life.
He came and lived and was tempted as we are, but sinned not. He taught us how to pray, how to live and how to love our neighbors, even the ones who want to hurt and even kill us. On the cross, as He was dying, He prayed to His Father in Heaven to 'forgive them, for they know not what they do.'
This forgiveness is the key to all of us who have been traumatized and for our society as a whole to come together under one banner; the banner of love. We need to start at home, with our families, to forgive one another. We need to start in our own state or country, to forgive our leaders. To pray for them. To pray that God will send new leaders even. To pray that hearts will change and that God will give them wisdom to do the right thing.
But before anyone can do the right thing, we must humble ourselves and take responsibility for what we've done and/or what we've left undone in our own lives. Let's stop blaming the other party, the other person, the one who offended us and the one who transgressed against us and listen and obey the words of Jesus:
"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses." - Gospel of Mark 11:25,26
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