Abiding Trust Or Taking A Safe Gamble
To genuinely trust is an ongoing challenge to experience in my journey. About the time I think I’ve got a handle on it is the time I discover another pocket of my life where I need to learn about trusting. These times most often come to the forefront when it comes to real life experiences with family, friends, work, situations .… with just living. And in these experiences the question of trust that I have to address is whether I truly trust that I have an Abba Father that loves me.
If I truly trust His love for me there will be at least two outcomes. First it will mean that regardless of what comes my way that love never ceases or wavers. It also means that because of this love my Abba Father will always work in my life to bring about what is best and what is most needed. The question then will always be whether I will have the courage to trust this reality.
Consider these two little stories about trust and which one best illustrates your walk with God.
A television program preceding the 1988 Winter Olympics featured blind skiers. The whole idea of there being blind skiers on the slopes borders on being bizarre. However, as impossible as it sounds these blind skiers were being trained for slalom skiing. Paired with sighted skiers, the blind skiers were taught on the flats how to make right and left turns. When that was mastered, they were taken to the slalom slope, where their sighted partners skied beside them shouting, "Left!" and "Right!" As they followed the instructions given, they were able to negotiate the course and cross the finish line, depending solely on the sighted skiers word. It was either complete trust or catastrophe.
Another story that I enjoyed was about how years ago a man was traveling through South Alabama on one of those hot and humid Alabama days. While traveling in his car down a dusty road he stopped at a watermelon stand. He surveyed the options. He tapped on a few until he found the watermelon he wanted. He asked the proprietor how much it cost. “It's $1.10,” he replied. The man dug into his pocket, found only a bill and said, “All I have is a dollar.” “That's ok,” the proprietor said, I’ll trust you for it.” “Well, that's mighty nice of you,” the man responded, and picking up the watermelon, started to leave. “Hey, where are you going?” the man behind the counter demanded. “I'm going outside to eat my watermelon.” “But you forgot to give me the dollar!” “You said you would trust me for it,” the man called back. “Yeah, but I meant I would trust you for the dime!” “Sir,” the man replied, “You weren't going to trust me at all. You were just going to take a ten cent gamble!”
Both these stories provide such a vivid picture of the choice we have when it comes to learning to live loved!
In this journey we are on, we are in reality blind about what course to take. Any move we make, as we maneuver through the slalom course of life can only be made with certainty and assurance when we listen to our Instructor. We must rely solely on the only One who is truly sighted…. Our Abba Father.
However many times we only really trust God in those things where the loss won’t be that great. It won’t cost that much. The gamble isn’t all that great. It really won’t take away much from us being in control. We’ll take a lot of ten cent gambles but when it comes to trusting Him with the dollar bill aspects of our lives that is when we say, “Wait a minute, hold on, that’s not what I want!”
To trust is to have a firm reliance in the abilities, advice or council of another. How firm is my reliance? How great is my trust in Abba Father? How willing am I to go left or right when that is what He desires? The nickels and dime are easy to let go of but the dollar aspects of my life is what I need to trust Him with because when I do the returns have always been great.