Grace is Messy
As an infant, before we even realize what is going on, we are exposed to our first opportunity to trust our caregivers. Parents, grandparents, childcare providers, etc. We trust them for our clothing, food, shelter, love, and all-around nurture. Caregivers may not always do a perfect job, which can chip away bits of our trust at a time, if we allow it.
As we continue to grow, as a toddler and school-aged child, we are given opportunities to trust (often times complete strangers) to educate us, keep us safe from harm, continue to teach us right from wrong, and show us how to relate with others that we may or may not like. Teachers may not always do a perfect job either…at times our confidence may be dinged and our feelings hurt, but the opportunity for trust is ever-present.
As teenagers and young adults, we learn a new dimension in the realm of trust…romance! We are given an opportunity to trust that a particularly attractive member of the opposite sex should (in an ideal world) respect, cherish, and love us…and so much more. Our hearts may be broken, our dreams shattered, and our pride crushed….nonetheless, we have an opportunity to trust.
The older we become, the more we turn to our doctor/healthcare provider. We trust that they have our best interest at heart…that our health is their number-one concern…we trust them to find a particular problem and fix it…and fix it fast!
Throughout all stages of life, the greatest opportunity we are given is that of trusting God. Trusting that our Heavenly Father will provide for our every need, give us sustenance, guard our hearts, protect our well-being, and forgive our every fault. When times are good, we trust that it is His blessing and provision in our life. When we pass a class, receive a raise at work, when our wife finds out she’s pregnant, when our child has a great accomplishment at school (or otherwise), when we make the team, when we get a scholarship to college, we trust that our Father is looking out for us and the sense of reassurance of His love is unmistakable.
But life isn’t always “easy” is it? The road of life has potholes, low shoulders, dips, hairpin curves, and more…when we hit that pothole, drop off the shoulder, or lose control in the tight curve…it is then when our trust has the greatest opportunity to give glory to our Father.
I can’t imagine what Daniel must have experienced, while sitting in a den full of lions. Do you know that a male lion’s roar is loud enough to be heard up to 8 kilometers away? Daniel knew he was doing what was right in God’s sight. He was being obedient, even unto death, but don’t you know that his flesh was still facing DOUBTS? I bet his doubts were ROARING at him. Each time a lion came close, each time one sniffed of his clothes, every single time the King of of the Jungle paced, back and forth, eyeing his next meal, Daniel had the opportunity to trust.
When Lazarus laid in the tomb for a few days, and Jesus seemingly took his time in coming home…his family had an opportunity to trust. When Noah started building the ark because he KNEW it was going to rain…yet the rest of the world called him a MORON, his family had an opportunity to trust. While Jonah smelled the whale’s breath and Daniel smelled the lions’ poo, while Abraham raised the knife to kill his son, and while the Son of God hung naked on the Cross….SOMEONE had a great opportunity to trust.
A few friends of mine wrote a song that I love…it says:
“I trust in You,
When everything goes wrong,
When my brother turns his back on me,
And I am left all alone.
Without You here by my side,
Lord, I don’t know what I’d do….
But I ain’t worried no more,
I trust in You.”
Abba, thank You for opportunities to trust.
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