When I was a young girl under the age of ten, I realized I could not trust others. My belief that people had mostly good intentions was shattered. It's something that still makes me question the motivations of both strangers and those closest to me to this day. Because when trust in others is shattered at a young age, that young person grows up to become a very skeptical woman. Leaving me to mostly look like this:
However, to walk through life with a big slab of doubt on my shoulder is also very contradictory to how I (and we) are called to live as believers in Jesus. Part of being among the body of believers is being able to trust one another with our burdens. I am to share my troubles and confess my sins to other believers. I am to rely on God to take care of me. So are you! How do we do that when, from an early age, trust had been broken?
We turn to the pages of Scripture. Specifically, the Psalms. Psalm 91:2 says, "I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust". When I have been let down by people, I rely
on God. When I am not sure how to trust humans, I begin by trusting God. Knowing that I have the power of Jesus to rely on, is an excellent starting point for learning how to trust again. Because it was humans that broke my trust first, I need to learn from the One who is most trustworthy.
When I begin to doubt God's love and faithfulness, I remember Psalm 89:2 which tells me, "I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself." Feelings will always pull us back towards being skeptical and full of doubt. We need a new set of words to remind us what is true.
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