Trust

A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults. Charles Kingsley

The things I have struggled with the most in my life are sharing my weaknesses and failings with others.  I have shared more of me with each of you than I have with anyone in the first 45 years of my life. How can I build a relationship of faith with others if I am not willing to share my inadequacies?  What happens when we do this is we become more humble.   I have to work at this every day.  There was a song years ago that said, “Oh Lord it’s hard to be humble, when I am perfect in so many ways.”

We often see ourselves unrealistically.  In our world we have taken the “Fifth amendment, right to privacy” to a whole new level.  We get together in groups as Christians and we keep a protective shell around us that will show others that we are godly when in reality we are anything but. In order to become a Christian with servanthood as our basis, we have to share our struggles and feelings and become vulnerable. 

The premise that the body of Christ is built on is that we are each a part of the whole.  If we lose a limb we are not able to function as a complete whole without that limb.  Paul spoke of this in 1 Corinthians 12:7 when he declares that the gifts of the Spirit are given to each one, for edification or “building up,” for the common good.  In other words, we are to lift each other up and support each other when one of us falls.  

I want to share with you a fairy tale and an excerpt that best describes how we are to treat each other as the body of Christ.  This comes from a book I am reading called Jesus Style by Gayle D. Irwin. 

The Sun and the North Wind observed a man walking along wearing a heavy overcoat.  They decided to see who could get the coat off of him.  The North Wind elected to try first.  He blew a howling gale around him, but the stronger the wind the more tightly the man drew his coat around himself.  Then the Sun said, “Now it’s my turn.”  So, he beamed warming rays down upon the man, and soon, of his own choice, the man removed the coat and walked happily in the sunshine. 

When we surround people with warmth, they will, by their own choice and energy, reveal and remove necessary heavy weights they have used as protection.

When we make the choice to share our histories and truth with each other we reveal ourselves and show each other that we all fall short of the Glory of God.  When we in turn accept one another’s weaknesses we begin to understand that our deposit of our revealed self is safe and we are then able to risk more with each other.  When trust is built we are able to confess.  In James 5:16 it says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.” 

Without trust, I will confess what I call superficial or surface sins.  These are the sins that are things like not enough faith or lack of prayer.  With trust I am able to truly share the things that hinder me and open myself up to prayer and healing from others.  With confession we are able to walk in peace and not be hindered by the covering up of our true selves. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am so guilty of covering up my own sin.  I often feel resentment, guilt and bitterness towards others, yet I cover it up with faux or fake happiness.  The problem with this is that as I bury my true feelings it is often manifested in other ways that are not healthy for the body of Christ.  I pray that you will open my eyes to these things that hinder my Christian walk.        

Scripture:    “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8