peace . love . joy

I've worked with children, for children.. I love kids. I love how when they look up at your face, into your eyes, there's no pretense. When they ask me for something or about something or someone, they take my answer. No questions asked. If they do ask, it's usually a follow-up question, building on my answer and not refuting or doubting its accuracy, reliability or validity. I think there's quite a lot of trust involved here, and trust in someone they've only but just met!

Have you ever carried a little baby before? Or even a toddler, or small child. (If they're not already throwing a fit for whatever reasons,) they hold still and are content in your arms. They squirm and adjust a little to feel more comfortable if your arms start getting tired and droopy, but other than that, they remain as they were and do not cling to your kneck in fear that you might drop them. If they ascertain that you are not comfortable in holding them, they assist you by putting their arms around your kneck or shoulder. They don't care how old you are, or how strong you are, or how "qualified" you are to know the correct method of carrying them; they just trust that you ain't going to drop them and injure them. They don't even need past experiences to back up that trust; they give it automatically from the get go.

Growing up, one of things we gradually discard is that automatic trust. We doubt our government's sincerity, the advertiser's interest, the things we read, the food we put into our mouths, even the people we meet. We simply must "check it out" and verify the data we receive, the sources from whom we receive, we judge by the method it was delivered.. I remember my first conscious putting on of the lense of "uncovering the truth" was in my history class when I was fifteen. We were learning about propaganda, vested interests and to decode sources (pictures, transcripts, etc.). That was when I began to realise that world was not all that simple.

But still, I am quite trusting as a person. I will give you the benefit of the doubt if you say you need some money to take a bus because you've lost your wallet, if you need help in finding a location, or if you want me to taste your sauce for you, even if you're a stranger or shallow acquaintence. Though there was this one time that really shook me and my trust in people. A young man came up to me when I was I think seventeen or eighteen and asked to borrow my handphone. So I said yes. The moment he took it, he ran off. I can tell you I felt very miserable. My parents and friends have warned me about lending my handphone to strangers, but I always thought no one could be that desperate or mean. Apparently, I was wrong. At the moment though, my trust in people still stands though it is standing under the shade of slight wariness.

As we grow in age and experience, depending on our environment and the people situated within our circumstances, we gradually, or sometimes immediately, lose that initiative to trust automatically. It may be from habits and skills we've acquired from school, or from experiences with people or objects even.

I'm not too sure about trusting people, the degree which we would consider reasonable, the expressions that we would consider appropriate..
But I do know that we ought to place our complete trust in God above for the simple reason that He is who He is. His very character forbids Him to lie and cheat, His tendencies and inclinations towards us obliges Him not to treat us as play things, but as beloved creations of value and worth.

We place our trust in the salvation we receive by the acceptance of Jesus' death and blood on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice, atonement for us in all our sinful glory.
But do we place our trust in Him daily when He says to speak to that person, that friend, or that stranger? To put that much money into the offering bag? To do something that is just outside of what we're accustomed to, comfortable with?
To take a leap and let Him catch you?
To take the opportunity He is leading you to, to let Him wrap you in His trustworthy arms?

I don't think many of us can say we place our entire trust, no part lacking, no area left under our control, our idea of standards and utopian situations, in the Lord. I know I can't.
We can't say that when we say we fear, nor when we say we prefer our way to His. If we say that, we aren't putting our trust in His ideas for our lives, in His ideas of expressions of His love to us, in His ideas of the perfect timing and the perfect method.

At times, it's hard for us to relinquish command over areas of our lives. Sometimes, this reluctance to let it go, let it return to the only One whose hands are worthy of steering the rudder, eats like a plague into more areas, even our ministries in church. We think we know better, we think we must plan and then pray for His blessing on our plans, we think if we don't act now, it'll all go to waste. We place our trust in ourselves. And when things go great, our ears strain to hear the praise that belongs to us. But when things take a turn for the ravine, we point the accusing finger to God, we get discouraged.

But sometimes we realise our mistakes. Our loving God points it out to us and yearns for us to come back to Him, to let Him steer the boat.

Question is:
Have we learnt our lessons?
Have we the humility to say we were wrong?
Have we the humility to say it was His doing in times of success, and to give Him the glory due?

Have we that child-like faith, that absolute faith, that automatic faith in Him to trust Him?

Read the Bible and be convinced of His nature, His statues, His promises.
Be convinced of His love & goodness.
Be convinced of His trustworthiness.

And just trust Him.
Put your arms around Him and let Him carry you.

I think that is what Jesus wanted.
I think that is what He meant when He said we ought to be like the little ones.

'Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me;
all day long an attacker oppresses me;
my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly.
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can flesh do to me?

All day long they injure my cause,
all their thoughts are against me for evil.
They stir up strife, they lurk;
they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life.
For their crime will they escape?
In wrath cast down the peoples, O God!

You have kept count of my tossings,
put my tears in your bottle.
Are they not in your book?
Then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call.
This I know, that God is for me.
In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afriad.
What can man do to me?

I must perform my vows to you, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.
For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feel from falling,
that I may walk before God in the light of life."

~ Psalm 56