Fuel for Friday~ "He will not let your foot slip; He who watches over you will not slumber." Psalm 121:3
We enjoyed a lot of pool time this summer. I have two kids that love the water but neither are 100% water safe. They either have to trust their floaties or trust us. They love jumping in off of the side of the pool, and as their comfort in the water grows, we try to spend more time with the floaties off, both for play time and to practice swimming skills. However, this means they have to explicitly trust us to catch them or hold them and not let them sink to the bottom. So many times, I heard myself saying to both of the boys, "please, just trust me!" As the parent, there is no way I would intentionally let them sink and drown in the pool. I am in the pool with them; strong, paying attention, and ready to support them when they need it. Despite a happy and safe babyhood with no history of neglect, I have found that I still have to prove to them that I am trustworthy. These swimming moments, in addition to many more throughout the day, provide me with opportunities to foster their trust. When they do not trust me, it is frustrating and hurtful. When they do, they achieve something they questioned their ability to do, wear big smiles, and are happy with their accomplishment. It is an amazing part of parenthood I will never tire of!
I can't help but make the comparison with my own failure to trust our Father in heaven and the sweet reward when I do. There are multiple verses, over forty, throughout the Bible about trusting in God. If it was not an important aspect of our relationship with Him, He would not have mentioned it so often! I ask my children to trust me, and I feel like, barring the unknowns, I can uphold my end of the bargain. How much more can the God who knows everything and created everything be trustworthy?
When we don't trust in Him, I imagine He feels just as I do when my little boy turns away from the side of the pool and walks away. God is hurt that we don't see Him as trustworthy. He is saddened that despite the great opportunity or fulfilling "fill-in-the-blank" ahead of us, we miss out due to our own fear and refusal to rely on Him. As humans, we constantly let those around us down. A cycle of building trust, breaking trust, and then rebuilding trust seems inevitable. None of us are perfect. But, God offers what no one on Earth can, being 100% trustworthy, 100% of the time. We could not ask for a better source to place our confidence.
We enjoyed a lot of pool time this summer. I have two kids that love the water but neither are 100% water safe. They either have to trust their floaties or trust us. They love jumping in off of the side of the pool, and as their comfort in the water grows, we try to spend more time with the floaties off, both for play time and to practice swimming skills. However, this means they have to explicitly trust us to catch them or hold them and not let them sink to the bottom. So many times, I heard myself saying to both of the boys, "please, just trust me!" As the parent, there is no way I would intentionally let them sink and drown in the pool. I am in the pool with them; strong, paying attention, and ready to support them when they need it. Despite a happy and safe babyhood with no history of neglect, I have found that I still have to prove to them that I am trustworthy. These swimming moments, in addition to many more throughout the day, provide me with opportunities to foster their trust. When they do not trust me, it is frustrating and hurtful. When they do, they achieve something they questioned their ability to do, wear big smiles, and are happy with their accomplishment. It is an amazing part of parenthood I will never tire of!
I can't help but make the comparison with my own failure to trust our Father in heaven and the sweet reward when I do. There are multiple verses, over forty, throughout the Bible about trusting in God. If it was not an important aspect of our relationship with Him, He would not have mentioned it so often! I ask my children to trust me, and I feel like, barring the unknowns, I can uphold my end of the bargain. How much more can the God who knows everything and created everything be trustworthy?
When we don't trust in Him, I imagine He feels just as I do when my little boy turns away from the side of the pool and walks away. God is hurt that we don't see Him as trustworthy. He is saddened that despite the great opportunity or fulfilling "fill-in-the-blank" ahead of us, we miss out due to our own fear and refusal to rely on Him. As humans, we constantly let those around us down. A cycle of building trust, breaking trust, and then rebuilding trust seems inevitable. None of us are perfect. But, God offers what no one on Earth can, being 100% trustworthy, 100% of the time. We could not ask for a better source to place our confidence.
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