While I’d like to claim otherwise, I have some very significant issues with trust in my life. I find it difficult to place enough trust in others in just about any situation. I typically drive myself to activities (meetings and camping trips). I always bring my own supplies (be it a tent for camping or a beverage at a meal). I try my hardest to keep a back-up plan ready to go (keeping standby credit card and my cell phone handy). It’s draining, really, and it’s not the way I want to live my life.
But for whatever reason, I find it very difficult to trust someone wholly or completely.
It’s ironic, actually. I enjoy rock climbing with friends, and I’ve even been known to climb once or twice with complete strangers. I have problems trusting someone to drive me to an event, but I can trust a complete stranger to hold a safety line while I climb a rock. No, it’s never made much sense to me, either.
With all of the issues I have placing trust in men, it’s amazing that I’m capable of placing faith in God. I spent some time thinking about this the other day. Particularly in relation to a question a friend once asked me: “does God really never let you down?”
Of all the people I’ve ever trusted, even just for a moment, they’ve rarely let me down. In fact, a small handful have never let me down. The problem is that I share something in common with these people – we’re human. I am always aware of the fact that I am fallible and will eventually fail someone who’s counting on me. Knowing that I can fail, despite my best efforts to the contrary, why would I electively place my faith on the shoulders of a fallible equal?
God, on the other hand, is infallible – he never fails. There is no object so large as to stand in his way and no goal so insurmountable that he would stumble in the pursuit of it. When given the option to place my faith in men or in God, I will always choose God.
At the same time, though, how are any of us supposed to know when God agrees to back us up? We can pray for a certain outcome, but if it’s not in line with God’s will for our lives, He’ll say “no” and we’re left wondering what happened.
In many cases, we just jump to the conclusion that He let us down.
I know I don’t make the best decisions in life. I know that no matter how hard I try there are some things I just can’t do to help my friends. I know that, from time to time, I will fail and be left wondering whether the failure was on my part or on the part of someone else in whom I placed my trust. But one thing I also know is that I can trust God for anything and everything. He’ll never refuse something that will be good for me. He’ll never do something that will lead to hurting me. Most of all, He’ll never let me down.
So while I still face trust issues when it comes to men every day of my life, I’m happy to say there’s at least one man I can always count on: Jesus. And that makes every other struggle worthwhile.