On Truth and Trust...

A "pijamie"-clad Buttercup came up to where I was sitting on the top step last night and laid her head down on one leg, and then put her legs across my other leg, with her body hanging across the gap between my knees. Considering that she and I took a very fast trip down the stairs just a few months ago, resulting in stitches for her and four hours on a fetal monitor for me (I was still pregnant at the time), it was a pretty trusting position to take!

In looking at the successive ages of my older children, I see, of course, decreasing levels of that overt trust. It got me to thinking about trust... As we age and begin learning about the world and all the evils that are out there, who and when to trust gets ever more complicated. Should I take you at your word when you say you'll show up for something? Does my trust require a contract be signed? Do I instill trust in others? Do I make my word my bond?

I have often told our children not to "swear" to something, not to make promises, because to say you'll do something should be your "promise."I strive to uphold that standard on my end too. If we tell the truth even for the little things that might get us in trouble, we can, presumably be trusted to tell the truth for the bigger things too.

A few months ago, Bruiser ran his bike into his brother - on purpose. Of course there were shouts, yells, tears and angry words and looks. I was still trying to discern exactly what happened so I asked him if he had run into Smeagol. He started to fib, quickly reversed course, and told the truth. He trusted me to be fair and get the rest of the story before meting out the punishment he knew would come.

Unfortunately, I failed in that duty and had to apologize before I could move forward. The apology really did need to come first because he would not have heard the right message otherwise. In the end, he had done it because the previous day he two boys had been playing "bumper cars" and Bruiser wanted to play that game again. He took his punishment like a "Big Kid" and I made sure his trust in me as his parent remained in tact.

Just as my boy had to trust me to be fair, and as my girlie trusted me with her physical safety, and as my oldest sometimes trusts me with his emotional secrets, I need to remember that God is there when I need Him. That I need to trust and have faith that no matter what happens, everything will be "okay" even if the situation is not resolved in the way I'd like.

Your father knows what you need before you ask him. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? So do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we wear?" For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today's trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:8b,25,31-34)

There is our promise (among other places in the Bible) - We are not to be afraid, whether we're having financial trouble, as so many of us are these days, or physical, mental, emotional... We. Are. Not. To. Fear. When you begin to feel your trust slipping (as I have at times, when I am working on our budget and tempted to allot our tithe money elsewhere), that life is "too much" to handle, that you need to skip church because there is just so much that has to be done Yesterday: He wants us to trust Him. Trust that everything will be "okay." Trust that He's going to lead us to the exact right place for our situations.

What things worry you? What things bring you to prayer? How do you stay faithful in your trust when things are tough? Share your methods in the comments so others may benefit and be encouraged when the day is long and the dollar is short...


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