Trust...a bitter pill to swallow

"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow." ~ Psalm 51:6-7

Yesterday, i was given a book called The Shack. Today I read it to completion. I will not say too much as I do not want to give away the plot (nor it's details) for those who haven't read it. What I will say is that I was taken by complete surprise. I have always felt that I had a pretty realistic perception of who God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit are and how they relate to who I am and the world we live in. The Shack helped to paint a vivid picture in my mind that allowed me to check my perceptions at the door.

This book shed light on how self-serving, uninformed and unreliable our perceptions and expectations can be. God formed us in his image, and we were made to love and be loved by him. Yet those same perceptions and expectations we set for ourselves (and sadly, others) act as a limitation to the purpose in which we were created. I personally believe it is because of this limitation that we often find ourselves so hurt and disappointed by others. It is also my belief that we allow that same hurt we experience to fester causing us to distort how we view God and our relationship with him.

Simply put, people have a hard time trusting God because they can't trust people.

At one point or another, we have all been hurt by someone. We have all been lied to, cheated, disappointed, confused and worn down. Some of us have even been angry at God...thinking that he had something to do with the predicament that we placed ourselves in. If you allow your faith and trust to manifest by placing it in other earthly individuals, then expect to feel.......... lied to, cheated, disappointed, confused and worn down. It is a vicious cycle, with a serious consequence.

Instead......protect yourself with your relationship with God, and do your part to help tear down perceptions by building relationships with others built on your purpose...LOVE. Unlike humans.....God's love is perfect, and we should think about how awesome that really is to have a father who loves us UNCONDITIONALLY!!!How great would our world be if we could say the same of ourselves and others?

Even though we should place our trust in God, some will continue to place their trust in others. With that said, please think about the impact that you may have when others seek your trust. How you handle their trust may speak volumes to them about the kind of relationship you have with the man above. Careful to honor their trust, as though it were your own.

"Cursed is the one who trust in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose hearts turn away from the Lord. He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

BUT BLESSED is the man who trust in the Lord, whose CONFIDENCE is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought, and never fails to bear fruit.

The HEART is DECEITFUL above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

I the Lord search the Heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve" ~ Jeremiah 17: 5-10

http://www.theshackbook.com/

Be Blessed!

Kristen