My exhaustion over the last week or so has made it difficult to end the summer well. I’m not sure if it’s the heat or the stress of getting ready for the next school year or if it’s just my body saying, “Okay, you’ve done enough”. Regardless of why, my kids have picked up on that and are trying to help.
My daughter felt like my son was getting away with a lot when I wasn’t looking, so she sat down on the couch next to me and said, “Mom, you can’t be everywhere so I’m going to be Mom 2.0”. From that moment on she started following her brother around the house yelling things like:
“Mom, he’s sneaking pretzels out of the cabinet…Mom, he didn’t wash his hands after he went to the bathroom…Mom, can Mom 2.0 give spankings?”
I had to quickly put an end to Mom 2.0. I told her there were too many bugs to fix in her program. She was okay with that as long as the bugs weren’t spiders. Mom 2.0’s concerns weren’t about love, loyalty, or wisdom. Her issue was trust.
Limited Trust
In all fairness, my physical limitations affect my ability to be a dependable mom sometimes. My daughter was right. I don’t have the ability to be everywhere at once, and even though I try to be fair I sometimes get it wrong. If I think about the people here on earth who love me the most and whom I trust, the truth is that my trust still has limits. I know I have to allow the other person to be human, to make mistakes, and to acknowledge their limits.
This week I’ve been preparing to teach a Bible study on trusting God with our eternal security. I’ve been amazed at how many people I’ve talked to don’t question God’s love for them or His desire to save them. But just like Mom 2.0, they have trust issues. So, why is it so hard to trust God?
Transfer of Trust
Maybe you’re like me. You don’t doubt your salvation in Christ, but trusting God with your day-to-day life is a challenge. I know my ultimate destination, but can I trust God to provide for me today? Can I trust Him to cover that unexpected medical bill, restore that damaged relationship, protect my family from the next hurricane, and so on? I’m sure you probably have your own list like that.
And why? One of the reasons I struggle to trust God is because of all the times people have let me down. I take my experiences from other relationships, and my mind tells me there’s a limit to trust. I begin putting the same limits on God that I do on other people. On an average day, I rarely stop to remind myself that God CAN be everywhere at once, and He IS all-knowing. It never occurs to me that I’m putting human limits on God and transferring my limited trust to Him as well.
Trusting When God Says No
Another reason I’ve found it hard to trust God with the details of life is because of all the times He’s answered my prayers by saying no. Of course, He’s not Santa. Just because I present my wish list to Him doesn’t mean I’ll get everything I want. But sometimes there are things I need, or think I need, and God still says no.
I have so many friends who have prayed for God to heal their children or spouse from cancer or some other life-threatening medical condition, but God said no. They trusted God with the person most precious to them, and God didn’t heal them. And deep down we feel the question. How can we trust a God who says no to the things that we desperately need? It reminds me of a quote attributed to C.S. Lewis:
“We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.” –C.S. Lewis
Pain distorts our perspective like few things can. I’ve lived with chronic pain and illness for over 20 years, and without exception, the times when I question God the most are the times when I’m experiencing the most pain. It’s hard to cling to God’s truth when He allows us to experience pain. Tripp Lee, a Christian rap artist and pastor, also deals with chronic illness. He was recently interviewed about how he trusts God even though God has chosen not to heal him. It’s something all of us need to hear.
Burger King
That’s right. We live in a “Burger King society” where we want it our way right away. Western culture has done nothing to encourage waiting and trusting in God. And what are we trusting Him for? Security, comfort, the American Dream. No wonder we face disappointment on many levels when God says no.
The lie of prosperity is so sneaky that it deceives many Christians who never even realize it. I’m not talking about the obvious “I’m praying for a new swimming pool or sports car”. I find myself getting pulled into the notion that my kids are somehow entitled to having a safe home with friends in the neighborhood and food on the table. Those seem like basic needs that God would obviously want me and my family to have.
But if that’s true, why doesn’t He give that to kids in other parts of the world? If it’s a need for my daughter, isn’t it just as much a need for that little 9 year-old girl living on the streets in Libya or Pakistan? Yet western Christianity encourages us to seek that security and comfort. When God says no, we begin to doubt that we can trust Him.
But Even If He Doesn’t…
The book of Daniel is interesting…mystical hands, insane kings, vegan diets, and fire walking. Daniel 3 is where we find one of the best examples in the Bible of limitless trust and obedience. Daniel’s friends are about to get thrown into the fire unless they worship the king’s false god. I can just imagine the enraged king as he says, “What god can save you now?!” (verse 15). Together the trio responds, “Our God will save us…but even if He doesn’t…we will worship Him.” (verses 16-18 paraphrased)
What a challenge to me. Will I trust God even if He doesn’t…provide money to pay the bills, heal the ones I love the most, take away my pain, or give me the answers or security I want? Limitless trust acknowledges God’s ways aren’t my ways but doesn’t stop trusting.
