I am sitting in my car. I have been here two hours and thirty minutes. It is cold outside, and in my car too. Somewhere, I've lost my keys. I am waiting, waiting, waiting.
First, I walked back up in the freezing cold to the hospital, hoping I had just left the keys in my office. No luck there. Then I waited on the locksmith, who (bless him God), had to follow my directions and still had to ask for more from someone else. He came, but I found no keys in the car.
My spare key is an hour and fifteen minutes away. Plus, I have to wait for my husband to get to a vehicle to bring him here. Praise God his motorcycle started so he could drive to get our daughter's car. Praise God she was at work and her car was just a few minutes away. So now I am just waiting.
My husband said, go inside and I will call you when I get there. I told him I would wait, it is cold and I didn't want to walk back up to the main building. I thought I could use the quiet time with God. So I was reading in Psalms 119. David cried out "I'm homesick." several times. As I read I thought "I want to be home in my nice warm bed.". Even though this morning, I was thinking it was too cold in my bed as I grabbed a third blanket to put on at 1 am.
I realized, my nose, fingers, and toes feel frozen. I keep shifting around to add warmth. I am hungry and probably a little dehydrated. It has been two and a half hours since my "dilemma" began.
At any time I could walk about 150 feet into a warm, yet dark building. Or I could walk less than 1000 feet and be in the main hospital with other people, heat, lights, food and water. Many cars have passed without taking notice. While I was waiting for the locksmith, one stopped to tell me I could call security. I already had - security gave me the locksmith's number.
Then I realized, I feel this way after two hours; what about people who are homeless? People who truly have no options. How many times have "We just passed them by."? We ignore the person standing in front of us. Or the person standing outside their car in the freezing weather, just standing there dumbfounded like I was tonight. We ignore because of our own busyness, sometimes out of our own selfishness. Sometimes we ignore out of ignorance.
It is so easy to think "Well they have other options." No, there is not always other options. Choices can help a situation, but there is not always an immediate option. In 1996, I became homeless. I could not go home. There was no home to go to. Through a turn of events in my family, I could not just go stay with extended family. Realize, I did not have a drug addiction. I did not have an alcohol addiction. I did not gamble. I did not have a spending problem. I was not looking for a free ride.
I was a divorced mother of two young children. I made a little over minimum wage working a full time job. I had a car - no payments, it was just enough to get my kids to daycare and me to work. I made too much for assistance programs. My children's father didn't work so there was no child support.
I can still remember the feelings of desperation that I had when I turned to a living in situation that was beyond bad, so that I could keep a roof over my children's head. And to do that I had to give my son to his father to keep because otherwise he would have taken him from me through the legal system. I certainly had no money to fight that. I will still cry to this day when I say "I had to give away my son."
I praise God that I had connections to people who could pull strings and knew the resources to help me, so that it truly was a temporary situation. I praise God that I have never known what it was like to be cold and not get warm. I praise God that I have never had to go without food or water, or a bath or shower. I praise God that even though it wasn't a perfect situation that I was able to have a roof over my head and that my children were safe. I praise God that my children were young enough that when they hear this story, they look at me in bewilderment because they have no memory of "being homeless."
As I thought about the people out in the streets, I realized right right now it is 32degrees. In many parts of the country, and world, it is so much colder. There are people that have nothing between them and the elements. We are all stuck in our own little world. We live beyond our means, we waste what others would treasure. My heart was saddened, as I realized that there are enough resources in this world to meet the needs of every homeless person, but like Matthew West sings "IN MY OWN LITTLE WORLD" there is a bigger picture.
Maybe I can't rescue ever person on the streets. Maybe I can't make sure that every person has a safe place to sleep, a warm blanket all on my own. Maybe I can't feed every hungry person. However, I can resolve to do something. I can take time to notice the people around me. I can pay attention to what is really happening. I can make a difference for at least one person. I can give something - even if it is a gift card to a fast food place. I can do something - like support an organization that helps the homeless - with my time, belongings and resources. I can speak up and give them a voice - by researching the facts and making sure the legislatures know about the real problem and that funding is appropriated to it. What would happen if we each decided "I can do something."
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Lessons from I Kings 19
I admit lately I have been feeling discouraged and depressed. I have so related to how Elijah felt after his life was threatened by the queen following the victory God gave him over the prophets of Baal.
I was reading over this passage, In I Kings 19 and thought God what can I learn from how he handled this depressing time in his life. Here is what was revealed to me:
1) Seek God first - Elijah didn't do this instead he ran in fear
2) Don't fear the threats of the enemy (If God be for us, who can be against us!!!)
3) When you feel completely drained, God can give you substanence
4) When God gives you substanence it will sustain you and strengthen you for whatever lies ahead
5) God doesn't want to hear our excuses, or us blaming others, or our pity party (for that fact I am sure neither do others)
6) Sometimes God will blow things away, shake our very foundation, and burn things up just to get our attention
7) God will speak to our situation if we will get quiet and still enough to hear Him
8) When we run, God will eventually send us back to what we ran from
9) God always has others that will come along beside us if we will take time to heed His direction
10) No matter how bad things seem, how alone we may feel, we are never alone.
I was reading over this passage, In I Kings 19 and thought God what can I learn from how he handled this depressing time in his life. Here is what was revealed to me:
1) Seek God first - Elijah didn't do this instead he ran in fear
2) Don't fear the threats of the enemy (If God be for us, who can be against us!!!)
3) When you feel completely drained, God can give you substanence
4) When God gives you substanence it will sustain you and strengthen you for whatever lies ahead
5) God doesn't want to hear our excuses, or us blaming others, or our pity party (for that fact I am sure neither do others)
6) Sometimes God will blow things away, shake our very foundation, and burn things up just to get our attention
7) God will speak to our situation if we will get quiet and still enough to hear Him
8) When we run, God will eventually send us back to what we ran from
9) God always has others that will come along beside us if we will take time to heed His direction
10) No matter how bad things seem, how alone we may feel, we are never alone.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Parable of the Sower
One of the things I am always looking for are ways to incorporate Biblical messages into the lives of the people I work with. Sometimes I can be direct, and just say John 3:16 says.... but other times I have to be a little more creative. Usually when I do, someone in the group opens the door for straight on discussion, but if not at least a little seed of God's Word gets planted and when they start to sprout, that lesson they learned will be brought to their memory and roots will grow, as they have hopefully already started practicing it.
So tonight I was reading the parable of the sower(Matt 13:3-9; Mark 4:3-9 and Luke 8:4-8) and REVELATION!!!! My mind looked at it from the SW point of view as I read this familiar parable, especially when looking at Jesus' explanation in Matthew 8:19-23.
A farmer went out to sow his seed.
As a social worker I pour into people's life information that will help them overcome problems they face. Ultimately they have to chose what to do with it, but I am merely a tool the gives them the information.
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Jesus' explanation was: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
A lot of times, people are indifferent to the information being presented. They may not think it applies to them. There may be filters going on that keep them from hearing and understanding the information given. They may be physically present, but their heart and mind is closed to any lesson they might learn.
Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Jesus' explanation was: The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
Other times people are quick to use the tools they have been presented with. People who take in everything they can in a short amount of time. They try some skills out, and like the ones that produce immediate results. However, they never learn mastery of anything, they quickly move on saying "This doesn't work for me." They quit before any lasting changes can be made.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Jesus' explanation was: The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Other people think they can make some changes for the good, but are unwilling to let go of things that are negative. They think they can continue certain bad habits, and that a pill or counselor will fix the rest. They allow the familiarity of the old to keep out the positive changes. They are to busy trying to hold on the the old, even when they are willing to use the new techniques they learn.
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Jesus explained: But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Others are ready for change. They are tired of what has always been and realize that a complete change is the only thing that will bring lasting results. They realize it takes hard work, dedication and commitment. They realize that it takes time. But as they continue to work towards their goal life changes for the better!
So whether you are in counseling or not, there are always things in life that need to be changed. In stead of just closing everything off and denying there is a problem, instead of trying it for a little while and then giving it up, and instead of trying to change while still keeping the bad - commit 100%. Realize there will be season of struggle, growth and finally that good thing will spring forth and the roots will be deep enough that it becomes first nature and you can begin working on the next thing!!!!
So tonight I was reading the parable of the sower(Matt 13:3-9; Mark 4:3-9 and Luke 8:4-8) and REVELATION!!!! My mind looked at it from the SW point of view as I read this familiar parable, especially when looking at Jesus' explanation in Matthew 8:19-23.
A farmer went out to sow his seed.
As a social worker I pour into people's life information that will help them overcome problems they face. Ultimately they have to chose what to do with it, but I am merely a tool the gives them the information.
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Jesus' explanation was: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
A lot of times, people are indifferent to the information being presented. They may not think it applies to them. There may be filters going on that keep them from hearing and understanding the information given. They may be physically present, but their heart and mind is closed to any lesson they might learn.
Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Jesus' explanation was: The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
Other times people are quick to use the tools they have been presented with. People who take in everything they can in a short amount of time. They try some skills out, and like the ones that produce immediate results. However, they never learn mastery of anything, they quickly move on saying "This doesn't work for me." They quit before any lasting changes can be made.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Jesus' explanation was: The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Other people think they can make some changes for the good, but are unwilling to let go of things that are negative. They think they can continue certain bad habits, and that a pill or counselor will fix the rest. They allow the familiarity of the old to keep out the positive changes. They are to busy trying to hold on the the old, even when they are willing to use the new techniques they learn.
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Jesus explained: But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Others are ready for change. They are tired of what has always been and realize that a complete change is the only thing that will bring lasting results. They realize it takes hard work, dedication and commitment. They realize that it takes time. But as they continue to work towards their goal life changes for the better!
So whether you are in counseling or not, there are always things in life that need to be changed. In stead of just closing everything off and denying there is a problem, instead of trying it for a little while and then giving it up, and instead of trying to change while still keeping the bad - commit 100%. Realize there will be season of struggle, growth and finally that good thing will spring forth and the roots will be deep enough that it becomes first nature and you can begin working on the next thing!!!!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
4 Giving Secrets
I shared this today in group, after being told I was too cheerful for Thanksgiving where I was. Needless to say, when it was over, the people with me had a better mood too! These are four secrets to the happiness in my life.
4 Giving Secrets:
1)Giving your problems to God – He is in control anyway and is just waiting for us to let go. It is not denying that you have a problem or refusing to deal with it - just turn it over to God.
2)Forgiving – Let get of past hurts, offer forgiveness, remember God forgives us only as we forgive others. Forgiving is for us, not the person that wronged us. It does not mean that you have to be reconciled to the person, it means that you allow the past hurt to stop having control over you.
3)Thanks giving – In all things, give thanks. Regardless of what is going on around you, there is always something to be thankful for. Even the poorest of poor in America are richer than most third world countries. Very few people can say they have ever starved - we may go hungry, but starvation is the result of a severe or total lack of nutrients needed for the maintenance of life - very few of us can say whe have been there - that is something to be thankful for!
4) Giving to others – We are called to be servants – servants give of themselves with nothing in return. Giving to others lifts your spirits and theirs too. Give a smile, a compliment, encouragement, compassion or love. These cost nothing. Give your time – whether to a worthy cause or just really be in the moment with the people around you – focus on the here and now. Give of your resources – they all belong to God anyway. We all have something we can give to others!
4 Giving Secrets:
1)Giving your problems to God – He is in control anyway and is just waiting for us to let go. It is not denying that you have a problem or refusing to deal with it - just turn it over to God.
2)Forgiving – Let get of past hurts, offer forgiveness, remember God forgives us only as we forgive others. Forgiving is for us, not the person that wronged us. It does not mean that you have to be reconciled to the person, it means that you allow the past hurt to stop having control over you.
3)Thanks giving – In all things, give thanks. Regardless of what is going on around you, there is always something to be thankful for. Even the poorest of poor in America are richer than most third world countries. Very few people can say they have ever starved - we may go hungry, but starvation is the result of a severe or total lack of nutrients needed for the maintenance of life - very few of us can say whe have been there - that is something to be thankful for!
4) Giving to others – We are called to be servants – servants give of themselves with nothing in return. Giving to others lifts your spirits and theirs too. Give a smile, a compliment, encouragement, compassion or love. These cost nothing. Give your time – whether to a worthy cause or just really be in the moment with the people around you – focus on the here and now. Give of your resources – they all belong to God anyway. We all have something we can give to others!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Lessons from Narnia
Tonight I was watching Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and saw a few things in a new light. I know much has been written about this series of books, but since I haven't read those works these are new revelations to me. Maybe their fresh, maybe someone else has seen these things too, but my blog, my revelations and its new to me!
I do know CS Lewis wrote these stories as a fiction example of Christ's relationship. I know that Aslan is suppose to represent God.
First I noticed that the youngest child, Lucy was the one who felt Aslan's presence. We are told to come to God as children, and here that rang out to me. She doesn't just look for him, she chases after him. She is looking for him when no one else is. She is receiving from Him when others question his presence and her. As Christians we need to be sensitive to his Spirit. We need to not only seek Him, we need to recklessly pursue Him. When everyone else is looking other places for solution, we should be looking to Him for the answer. We always need to be ready to receive from Him regardless what others think.
Second, there is a scene where the young rulers are in this cave discussing the upcoming battle. Some want to stand their ground and just be defensive. Others want to storm the enemy gates and gain the element of surprise. As Christan's, in general we have decided to be defensive against the attacks of the enemy. We wait for attack, then fight. As Christians we are suppose to be advancing God's kingdom, not just trying to hold onto what we have. We need to be bold and storm the gates of hell, because God will prevail against Satan when we do.
Third, was a scene of war. The four young rulers are standing their ground as this giant army advances against them. I don't remember this scene from the times before - but I noticed they stood confidently despite what was coming at them. That's what God wants us to do. When we have done all we can do, we are called to stand. We must stand in faith knowing that greater is He who is within us, than he that's in the world.
Fourth, was a scene were Lucy actually goes to Aslan. He asks her why she didn't come before. They converse. She asks him if things would have been different if she had. God should be the first solution we seek, not one of desperation. So many situations get worse, more damage gets done, more people get hurt when we fail to just surrender to God immediately.
Fifth, at the end Lucy stands with her little dagger drawn against the mighty army,but Aslan is at her side. With there is one mighty roar of Aslan and the battle is complete. All of nature is summoned to his command. Trees stand up and fight, the water rises in battle and consumes the enemy. God has an all consuming power, that since the time of the flood the world has not seen. He overcame evil in the world then. He did it again at the cross. And He wants to do it through His church. We allow doubt to set in. We back down in the presence of evil, instead of drawing our swords and allowing God to come beside us and win the battle.
I enjoyed the movie last night, even though it didn't have my full attention. However I enjoy more the revelations given to me. I pray that they take root and grow in my life.
I do know CS Lewis wrote these stories as a fiction example of Christ's relationship. I know that Aslan is suppose to represent God.
First I noticed that the youngest child, Lucy was the one who felt Aslan's presence. We are told to come to God as children, and here that rang out to me. She doesn't just look for him, she chases after him. She is looking for him when no one else is. She is receiving from Him when others question his presence and her. As Christians we need to be sensitive to his Spirit. We need to not only seek Him, we need to recklessly pursue Him. When everyone else is looking other places for solution, we should be looking to Him for the answer. We always need to be ready to receive from Him regardless what others think.
Second, there is a scene where the young rulers are in this cave discussing the upcoming battle. Some want to stand their ground and just be defensive. Others want to storm the enemy gates and gain the element of surprise. As Christan's, in general we have decided to be defensive against the attacks of the enemy. We wait for attack, then fight. As Christians we are suppose to be advancing God's kingdom, not just trying to hold onto what we have. We need to be bold and storm the gates of hell, because God will prevail against Satan when we do.
Third, was a scene of war. The four young rulers are standing their ground as this giant army advances against them. I don't remember this scene from the times before - but I noticed they stood confidently despite what was coming at them. That's what God wants us to do. When we have done all we can do, we are called to stand. We must stand in faith knowing that greater is He who is within us, than he that's in the world.
Fourth, was a scene were Lucy actually goes to Aslan. He asks her why she didn't come before. They converse. She asks him if things would have been different if she had. God should be the first solution we seek, not one of desperation. So many situations get worse, more damage gets done, more people get hurt when we fail to just surrender to God immediately.
Fifth, at the end Lucy stands with her little dagger drawn against the mighty army,but Aslan is at her side. With there is one mighty roar of Aslan and the battle is complete. All of nature is summoned to his command. Trees stand up and fight, the water rises in battle and consumes the enemy. God has an all consuming power, that since the time of the flood the world has not seen. He overcame evil in the world then. He did it again at the cross. And He wants to do it through His church. We allow doubt to set in. We back down in the presence of evil, instead of drawing our swords and allowing God to come beside us and win the battle.
I enjoyed the movie last night, even though it didn't have my full attention. However I enjoy more the revelations given to me. I pray that they take root and grow in my life.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Victory
Today Pastor Cass talked about Contending for the Faith, part two in his lesson. He made the comment that we go from victory to victory in our Christian life, but that we have to contend for it.
The word Victory stood out to me. In every instance, the only way to have a victory is for there to be a battle. Jesus won the war on the cross, but we have to engage in battles in our life to gain the victory.
So many times, I just want to pray for Christ to deliver me from a situation. If I press hard enough, God usually does deliver me, but I end up later facing the same type of battle again. He may allow me to retreat for the moment, but the enemy is still there if he is not completely defeated. I can never gain victory over the enemy in that area if I don't engage in the battle.
I think of how many situations that I complain that I have to go through. I think of the client's I work with and the self defeating patterns that many engage in. Their faces flashed before me, the scenarios flashed before me, as Pastor Cass preached.
We have grown in a society that expects instant results. When we do not get them, we shrink back and decide it must be bigger than we are because we can't gain the victory with one little attempt. We see our immediate failure as proof that we can't overcome. But I get the message - we have to engage in the battle - to the very end - in order to gain victory.
I have overcome a lot in my life, when I was in the situation i didn't see the way out - but I kept pressing on. I knew that God was there with me, even when I didn't see or feel Him. When I thought I couldn't go on, His strength would come or He would send others to come along side me and encourage me. In the end, the victory came - not easily, but completely.
I haven't had to spend my whole life in battle. I have though been able to see battles come to an end and have obtained victory in a lot of areas in my life. What I realize is that I need to allow God to take me through the battlefields of those areas that I still haven't seen victory in. I have to trust that if I stand and fight, past where I want to give in, He will bring me to victory. (Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who can be against us?)
(Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.) We are more than conquerors in Christ - but all conquerors have to stay in the fight to complete the battle!
The word Victory stood out to me. In every instance, the only way to have a victory is for there to be a battle. Jesus won the war on the cross, but we have to engage in battles in our life to gain the victory.
So many times, I just want to pray for Christ to deliver me from a situation. If I press hard enough, God usually does deliver me, but I end up later facing the same type of battle again. He may allow me to retreat for the moment, but the enemy is still there if he is not completely defeated. I can never gain victory over the enemy in that area if I don't engage in the battle.
I think of how many situations that I complain that I have to go through. I think of the client's I work with and the self defeating patterns that many engage in. Their faces flashed before me, the scenarios flashed before me, as Pastor Cass preached.
We have grown in a society that expects instant results. When we do not get them, we shrink back and decide it must be bigger than we are because we can't gain the victory with one little attempt. We see our immediate failure as proof that we can't overcome. But I get the message - we have to engage in the battle - to the very end - in order to gain victory.
I have overcome a lot in my life, when I was in the situation i didn't see the way out - but I kept pressing on. I knew that God was there with me, even when I didn't see or feel Him. When I thought I couldn't go on, His strength would come or He would send others to come along side me and encourage me. In the end, the victory came - not easily, but completely.
I haven't had to spend my whole life in battle. I have though been able to see battles come to an end and have obtained victory in a lot of areas in my life. What I realize is that I need to allow God to take me through the battlefields of those areas that I still haven't seen victory in. I have to trust that if I stand and fight, past where I want to give in, He will bring me to victory. (Romans 8:31 If God is for us, who can be against us?)
(Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.) We are more than conquerors in Christ - but all conquerors have to stay in the fight to complete the battle!
Trust
Wednesday night Pastor Brian taught about Trust. It was a really powerful message that makes one think. As I left church, and into the following day this issue of trust continued to run through my mind. I ended up talking about it in group I lead on Thursday. I was touched how God used that message to not only challenge me, but to speak with the patients, who could take the message and apply it to their own lives too.
The message was from Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.
Here is what I took from that message and shared. I work with so many people with "trust issues". People who have been hurt and in their mind don't trust anyone or anything. The fact is though, we all put our trust in things every day.
I trust my employers to pay me, I trust the chair I sit in to hold me up, I trust my car to get me where I need to go. I don't question all week long if there is going to be a check. I just trust there will be. Despite having been burnt once with a previous employer that wrote checks without funds, I still trust. I don't fret daily about my vehicle, despite past times when I have had vehicles break down. I trust if I maintain regular maintenance and put gas in it, I can get where I need to go. I don't question every chair I sit in if it will hold me, despite being a big girl. I just sit down and trust it to hold me.
If I can put 100% trust in material things - why should I not trust God 100%? And although there are times I say I trust Him, why then do I question His ways and timing? Either I trust Him or I don't.
In addition, trust increases with relationship. The more I get to know someone the more I should trust them. If I have problems trusting God, it is because I have not put time into our relationship.
I work in a hospital, and we have patients come in "trusting" us to provide quality care for them. So many times they will only trust the medicine they want. They get upset that the doc won't give them what they want. Either they trust the doc to make doctorly calls, or they don't.
Patients expect the hospital staff to trust the information they give us about the symptoms they are experiencing. With the number or people who are drug seeking in this world, sometimes that relationship takes a while to build, especially for those who do not have a regular doctor and are in pain. As they spend time with us, they learn what they can expect. As we get to know them, we learn more about them and what they need.
The third thing I shared is that I think sometimes it is easier for us to trust what we know, than to take a chance on something new. People trust the things they are addicted to, or a bad relationship more than they trust themselves to be able to survive without it. They trust those things to meet the problems they face, more than they trust God's willingness to help them overcome their addictions.
Sometimes it is the process that holds the answer for us, not the solution itself. Sometimes we have to learn total dependence to solve the problems we face - that doesn't including complaining and questioning every step of the way. So put your trust in God, He beats anything else we put our trust in!!!!
The message was from Proverbs 3:5-6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path.
Here is what I took from that message and shared. I work with so many people with "trust issues". People who have been hurt and in their mind don't trust anyone or anything. The fact is though, we all put our trust in things every day.
I trust my employers to pay me, I trust the chair I sit in to hold me up, I trust my car to get me where I need to go. I don't question all week long if there is going to be a check. I just trust there will be. Despite having been burnt once with a previous employer that wrote checks without funds, I still trust. I don't fret daily about my vehicle, despite past times when I have had vehicles break down. I trust if I maintain regular maintenance and put gas in it, I can get where I need to go. I don't question every chair I sit in if it will hold me, despite being a big girl. I just sit down and trust it to hold me.
If I can put 100% trust in material things - why should I not trust God 100%? And although there are times I say I trust Him, why then do I question His ways and timing? Either I trust Him or I don't.
In addition, trust increases with relationship. The more I get to know someone the more I should trust them. If I have problems trusting God, it is because I have not put time into our relationship.
I work in a hospital, and we have patients come in "trusting" us to provide quality care for them. So many times they will only trust the medicine they want. They get upset that the doc won't give them what they want. Either they trust the doc to make doctorly calls, or they don't.
Patients expect the hospital staff to trust the information they give us about the symptoms they are experiencing. With the number or people who are drug seeking in this world, sometimes that relationship takes a while to build, especially for those who do not have a regular doctor and are in pain. As they spend time with us, they learn what they can expect. As we get to know them, we learn more about them and what they need.
The third thing I shared is that I think sometimes it is easier for us to trust what we know, than to take a chance on something new. People trust the things they are addicted to, or a bad relationship more than they trust themselves to be able to survive without it. They trust those things to meet the problems they face, more than they trust God's willingness to help them overcome their addictions.
Sometimes it is the process that holds the answer for us, not the solution itself. Sometimes we have to learn total dependence to solve the problems we face - that doesn't including complaining and questioning every step of the way. So put your trust in God, He beats anything else we put our trust in!!!!
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