GOD TRUSTS US???
We affirm in this creed that not only are we are to trust God, but that God trusts us. I can’t imagine what it would take for God to put the future of Christianity into the hands of the believers. Even more, there is plenty of evidence that we have let God down in being ambassadors to the world on God’s behalf. Jesus did promise us that the Spirit will guide us, inspire us and always be with us. Far too often, being a Christian is characterized by trusting God and the often missed part is, to honor God’s trust in us, with our actions in the world.
JUMP
I have this great memory of teaching my daughters to swim at the YMCA. I would stand in about 3 feet of water and hold my arms out toward one of my daughters. They would bestanding on the side of the pool with their hands firmly placed on their hips. Then, I would encourage them to jump. They would just, with all the attitude they could muster, shake their head and give me a look like, “have you lost your mind?” Then they would motion to me to come closer. I would take a step in and ask again. They would repeat the little dramatic episode looking even more exasperated until I was so close they could just lean into my arms. I would pretend to almost not catch them until the last second and keep them from going underwater. Then they would hug me, giggle and say, “Again dad, again!”
A BITTERSWEET DAY
Each time they would get a little more brave and I would let them fall a little farther in the water before catching them. Eventually came the day when they wanted to just jump in from the side without my help. A bittersweet day indeed, but also a day of great pride. It made me happy to watch them jump in without help and swim across the pool. That summer they became so used to being in the water, they became better swimmers than me. After a while I even grew less worried about them at the pool, knowing that they could handle anything that happened including helping other children learn to swim.
THE MAGIC
The magical thing that happened at the pool that summer was not merely that my girls learned to be strong swimmers, but we also learned to trust each other more. What if we looked at the relationship we have with God as one of mutual trust. Not only do we learn to believe and trust in God, but what if God actually believes and trusts in us.