Trusting Our Perfect Parent

Trusting is difficult.  We must first believe that others are capable of meeting our expectations, and then we must wait patiently for them to do so.  This process, then, involves three parts:  the capacities of others, our own expectations, and our level of patience.  Our being responsible for at least two-thirds of the process explains why we often end up trusting some people too much and trusting others far too little.  Even our belief in others capabilities can be determined by our own preconceptions rather than their actual skill level.  Therefore, choosing to trust the correct individuals is a responsibility that lands squarely on each of us eventually.

God is the only individual who merits our unbounded trust because He alone is omnipotent.  How then do we trust Him?

First, we "must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him" (Heb. 11:6).  This is our very first step toward a trusting relationship with God.  But He has already given up His only Son for us, allowing Christ to die that we might be redeemed from our sins (John 3:16-17).  Could there ever be a better reason for trusting anyone than that He loves each of us that much?  "Love . . .  endures all things" (I Cor. 13:7).  "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

But sometimes we doubt this love--and fail to trust--because of our expectations.  We expect that God will make our lives easy; that we will not experience deep, soul-wrenching pain; that we will automatically prosper in all we do (Gen. 39:3).  We wish that God would come and speak to us face to face or reach out physically and touch us.  We ask for these things because we do not know God well enough and are instead concerned only with those things that we want (James 4:3).  We are quite willing to take for granted God's manifold blessings to us--as long as they come how and when we want.

Our expectations of God should be informed by knowledge of His character.  "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?"  (Job 2:10)  God has promised that "all things work together for good to them that love God" (Rom. 8:28 KJV).  But He also "reproves him whom He loves, as a father the son in whom he delights" (Prov. 3:12).  Should we then consider God inconsistent and untrustworthy because He does not meet our human expectations?

No, we should not.  We must trust God to act consistently with His loving character by doing the best thing for us, whether or not it first appears as a good to our limited view.  We must patiently trust God to "give unto [us] beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that [we] might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified" (Is. 61:3 KJV).

"What if trials of this life are [His] blessings in disguise?"--"Blessings," by Laura Story

You're Making a Statement

A friend and I had just returned from a lecture on gender issues when we dived into discussion of gender roles in society.  Conversation then turned to how our clothing choices reveal views concerning gender issues and our own selves.  She asked me a question I would like to ask all of you:  "What do you intend to communicate through your clothing?"

This question thrilled my soul.  Never until that very moment had I realized so clearly why I chose the clothes I did.  Hats and skirts and contacts and cute heels--all of these and more had their individual explanations.  Overall, it must have sounded something like this, "I want to communicate love and femininity and respect for men and a challenge to the status quo and modesty--not that illusive line that a skirt apparently must meet to be acceptable, but the quality of an humble heart--and conviction and godliness."  That is a tall order, I realize.

Photo credit: Chelsea Miller

In describing what I wanted to communicate through clothing, I defined not merely how I wanted to appear but also who I want to be.  You see, clothing can be used as a tool of manipulation to curry the favor of the masses or develop a particular image in order to gain friends or influence.  But clothing can be so much more than that!  It reveals who we are and how we think of ourselves.  It shows the fashion icons whom we emulate and which cliques we think are cool.  Nearly everyone can remember a time during their teenage years (or later) when they attempted to fit in by dressing to fit a particular code or when they struggled to find their own personal styles while browsing all of the bewildering variety of clothing options on the market today.  I know I have definitely done both of these things.  But we must make choices regarding the clothing we wear, and we must accept that those choices will affect how other people see us and sometimes even what their reactions toward us will be.

Even when we are not intentionally communicating through our fashion choices, we tell the world a great deal about ourselves through what we wear and how we wear it.  Do you notice shirt collars?  I do.  After being in a room with one hundred people for an hour, it is unlikely that I could tell you the color of a particular individual's shirt.  But I could tell you the precise state of his shirt collar and probably give you some analysis on whether the state of his collar seemed consistent with his overall attitude.  Little details are important in these sort of analyses.

Our clothing is our first introduction--before the handshake, even before names are exchanged usually.  Clothing tells our story, and we need to make sure that story is told accurately.  What do you want your clothing to say?