Trust Issues
I’ve been broken and bruised both mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. And while I talk about it here on this website, I don’t do it to rehash the things I’ve been through, but to extend hope and healing to those of you who suffer the same things. You see, though I’ve been broken, I’ve been healed. From the inside out, I have been healed. And while some of those scars still remain in the healing process, the worst of it is gone. Yes, God healed me. Yet, being the human that I am, I remember. I remember because that’s how humans are. We remember. But the difference between me and the next girl or guy is this: I’m using what I remember to bring glory to God. I’m using what I remember to help someone else who is stuck in the rut of oppression.
It’s not easy being the recipient of yelling, screaming, or verbal, mental, or physical abuse. It’s not easy to get over, either. But the GOOD NEWS about it all is that, while God knows every single event of your life; while He knows every single tear you have shed, He also knows the way out and will use every negative thing in your life to make something good out of it.
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. ~Romans 8:28 (HCSB)
You may be stuck in that rut today. May I encourage you? You won’t be there for long. It might seem like a lifetime to you, but trust me, it is but a moment to God. He is working something wonderful for you. It is up to you to hang in there and trust Him. It sure helps if you cry out to Him. He is there, listening, watching, waiting.
Many years ago, I was at a Youth Camp with my oldest daughter. One day, as the adults went out for their activities, we were blindfolded, then put into a line holding hands. There were about thirty of us. Then we were directed to walk through the woods, blindfolded, following the sound of the voice of the “Leader.” We did as we were told and before long we came to a rope stretched across the trees. We were then told to find our way out of the woods. Following the rope, we walked, still blindfolded. But just as we thought we were to the end, we ran into other people, also blindfolded. We were at an impasse. What to do? It didn’t take long before we discovered that there was another rope away from our designated rope. But we were instructed to stay together. We couldn’t leave anyone. We worked and worked and before long, we found our way out and were told to remove our blindfolds. What did we learn? How to work together. But here’s the real moral of the story: In order to get out of our dilemma, all we had to do was ASK. If we had only called out to our leader, she would have come, taken us by the hand, and got us out of our mess. Uh-oh.
It’s the same way with God. When we are in a mess, all we have to do is ASK. Call out to Him and He is there, ready to help us out of any and every situation we are in. The only problem is that we never think to ask. We are such a “Do-It-Yourself” bunch of people, that we think we can get ourselves out of our own messes. “You got yourself into that mess. Get yourself out!” is what we’ve grown up hearing. But it is such a LIE! Directly from the father of lies, the devil. And the sad thing is…we LISTEN!
When he [the devil] tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars. ~John 8:44b (HCSB) (brackets mine)
How do you think God feels when He watches us, His children, floundering around in our own pig sty of a mess, wishing we would only cry out to Him? You think He keeps us in the mess and doesn’t come for help? He does come…in His timing. We may think He’s left us to our own devices when in all actuality, He is teaching us a lesson. The lesson? It is different for each of us, but yet the same. The outcome may involve many different aspects, but one of them remains the same for us all. Trust in Him. Trust! Do we trust Him? We should.
When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, In God I trust; I will not fear. What can man do to me? ~Psalm 56:3-4
There are many things going on in the world today. Many people running this way and that, trying to figure out the meaning of life. Many people trying to figure out the wheres and whys of the things going on the the world. But if we would all just stop, and simply cry out to our Leader for help, He will! Oh yes, it’s as simple as that. Just cry out to Him!
The best Christmas present you could ever receive is the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. But He won’t force Himself on anyone. You have to come to Him and ASK. I was in a bind for many, many years. I had no earthly idea that my issues could be resolved just by asking. I knew salvation. I knew prayer. I even knew to pray for others. But the deep-down-break-your-heart-I-have-lived-with-this-all-my-life issues, I did not know He would remove. Until one night when someone else called it out for me. That’s when I knew. That’s when He came. That’s when I was healed.
Make this Christmas one of new beginnings. You won’t regret it one bit. Trust the Lord with everything you have. And I can tell you, it’s the most wonderful experience you will ever have.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
