“I
do not trust people who don't love themselves and yet tell me, 'I love you.'
There is an African saying which is: Be careful when a naked person offers you
a shirt.”
―
Maya Angelou, poet
Hmmm. Never thought of trust
quite that way, but she has a point. And it’s made me think about how many
times in my life a naked person offered me a shirt, metaphorically speaking, of
course.
I tend to trust people until they
show me otherwise. Most of us have had an ah-ha moment when a “friend’s” true
colors shone through. As I wrote about in this guest blog post, My Middle Name Is Not 'Doormat',
I used to have a tendency toward allowing people to walk over me, even when the
evidence pointed toward their being wrong and me being right. After all, they
claimed to be a friend, and some folks are pretty gifted at skewing reality in
their favor.
Even
my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against
me.
Psalm 41:9
Apparently, even the psalmist had
trouble with friends who stabbed him in the back.
So what do we do when this
happens? We can swear never to trust anyone again. A little extreme. Or we put
up emotional walls to protect ourselves from being hurt again. Or we don’t
recognize the pattern and continue to trust folks blindly and eventually get
hurt again.
Despite how we choose to handle
untrustworthy people, I’ve found one friend who has never let me down.
Jesus.
Since the beginning of time, he’s
loved us. His words and actions are trustworthy.
How do I know he’s a trustworthy
friend?
He
mediates on our behalf in heaven.
“For there is one God and one
mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a
ransom for all people.” 1 Timothy 2:5-6a
He
intercedes for us in prayer.
Jesus’s prayer for believers
prior to his crucifixion: “I pray also for those who will believe in me through
their [the disciples’] message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as
you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe
that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they
may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to
complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them
even as you have loved me.
“Father, I want those you have
given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have
given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” John 17:20b-24
“Therefore he is able to save
completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede
for them.” Hebrews 7:25
“Who then is the one who
condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to
life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Romans 8:34
He
is preparing a place for us in heaven.
“Do not let your hearts be
troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many
rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to
prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know
the way to the place where I am going.” John
14:1-4
He
loved us first and called us friend.
“Greater love has no one than
this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do
what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know
his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for
everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:13-15
Consider
this about God’s nature:
"But God doesn't call us to be
comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid
to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come
through.”
― Francis Chan, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
If you’re having trouble trusting
the folks in your life, start with Jesus. The relationship you build with Him
will enable you to discern authenticity in people.
“The
best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”
―
Ernest Hemingway
Ultimately, this is what
relationships come down to. Even with the best safeguards around our hearts and
minds, the only way to truly know if someone is trustworthy is just to trust
them.
Do you have a favorite Bible
verse that has helped you with trust issues? I’d love for you to share it. J
I hope you're as blessed as I am when you listen to this Third Day song, "Trust in Jesus."
Praise
Report:
My great-nephew Jack, who has
Perthes disease, came through his hip surgery fine. Please continue to pray for
him and his parents as they adjust to the new normal of healing and rehab.
Prayer
Requests:
If you have a prayer need, please
share it in the comments or e-mail me confidential requests. Our prayer list is
located at the top of the blog along with info on Sgt. Jesse McCart, an
American soldier injured by an IED in Afghanistan. Would you consider taking a
few moments to pray for these folks? Thanks!
Shalom,
Laura
✞
©Laura Hodges Poole
You always bless me with your words Laura, and today was no exception. Trust is so hard to build up and so easy to lose. Ultimately, Jesus is the One we can fully trust. Thank you for your insight, always words to ponder.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Cindy. I'm glad you were blessed by the post.
DeleteHi Laura! I am coming to you from TGIF.
ReplyDeleteI LOVED that African saying, it's so true! Our true Lover is the Lord and he is our light. Just like you said, no condemnation, just love. I need to trust him more though. That is a work in progress.
So nice to meet you!
Ceil
Thanks for stopping by, Ceil. I'm glad you enjoyed the post. I will be visiting your blog, as well.
DeletePraise God that He alone is trustworthy! He will never leave us nor forsake us! Thanks for the uplifting, thorough and Bible-based post.
ReplyDeleteMay God bless you and your ministry,
Laurie