October 26, 2012
Transformational Thought
When my girls were very young, I used to throw them way up in the air. Oh, how they loved it, especially when we lived in a house with a 2-story entrance where I could throw them really high. I delighted in the unquestioning trust they had in me, even though I really didn’t have to do much other than be a decent father. I certainly wasn’t perfect. Our kids show us their unconditional trust, and sometimes times their extreme gullibility, in many ways … running to our rooms when they have a nightmare, believing us when we tell them about Santa, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny, or thinking we can make all their boo-boos magically go away.
God created us to trust easily, so we would trust Him, just as children trust their parents. HE knows trust and faith are two essential components of our walk with Him. But Satan takes advantage of our desire to trust and he has devised a system to lead us away from God.
When Satan gets in our head, he magnifies both the natural feelings of inadequacy that we have as parents as well as the guilt that comes when we really do let our kids down, whether intentionally or unintentionally. When kids experience hurts like these, they become jaded and cautious about trusting others. As the letdowns and disappointments accumulate through the years, trusting anything other than ourselves becomes hard for us, even under normal circumstances.
This mistrust breeds loneliness, isolation, and a feeling that no one truly understands me and my path. I begin to feel that no one else is on my team. Self-reliance becomes my main coping strategy. Self-reliance is the opposite of what God wants in His relationship with us. But the Holy Spirit within us can be our resident tutor, helping us untwist every past hurt so we can start to trust again. I’m talking about real, 100% unconditional trust and wide-eyed belief. Like a small child, we can fully trust all God’s promises, every instruction, and fall into His open arms.
Today, when no one else seems to understand you, simply draw closer to Your Lord and God. Rejoice in Him, the One who understands you and loves you perfectly. Trust His promises and instruction for living life. Apply His principles to an area of trouble today and continue to apply them regularly to that area. Give the principles a chance to affect your life and don’t judge the results prematurely. After all, you’ve given your plan a lot of time to implode. Now give His plan equal time to succeed. Trusting yourself or God is your decision, so choose well.
Prayer
Dear Father God, I come to You for understanding because You know me far better than I know myself. You comprehend me in all my complexity. No detail of my life is hidden from You. Help me to understand my hurts more, to forgive those who hurt me, and to trust You and Your promises. Give me the trust of a child when it comes to all that has to do with You. I pray in the name of the rock of my trust, Christ Jesus; and all God’s children say – AMEN!
The Truth
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. Psalm 131:1,2
Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:3
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5,6