“Blessed [is] that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.” (Ps 40:4 AV)
There is a choice here. There are only two options. We either trust the LORD or listen to those who do not. There is no middle ground. I am reminded of late the difficulty that faith truly is. Faith is difficult. Trust does not come as a whim. As a child, we have a heart full of trust. We trust our parents. We trust our teachers. We trust those who know better. But over time, they disappoint. We placed upon them the expectation of perfection. Because they are human, they failed. When they did, the natural inclination of trust waned. Vulnerability and humility are part of a child’s nature. As we grow into adulthood and learn to be self-sufficient, determining our life’s direction, humility and vulnerability do not come easy. We have the failures of those whom we trusted coupled with the ability to determine our own direction and faith is a hard step to take. Our perception is that self-reliance is safer than trust. But as we see above, there are only two directions a soul can take. He will either make God his trust, or he will show deference to those who do not. Those who do not trust the LORD live lives built on lies. There is no other choice.
Pinocchio is a well knows story written by Carlo Collodi of Florence, Italy in 1833. It tells of a puppet whose name is Pinocchio. He was carved and created by Geppetto, a puppeteer. One night, Pinocchio comes to life but materially remains a puppet of wood and cloth. His deepest desire is to become a real boy. He begins to question his father’s judgment. He begins to reject the rules laid down for him by a loving father. One adventure after another leads him further from his creator. The story escalates until Pinocchio is taken to an island that promises the freedom to indulge in all things a little boy could want. This indulgence eventually turns the boys into donkeys from which they can never recover. Seeing the eventual end of his decision, Pinocchio escapes into the sea. He was swallowed by a whale. Jumping in the water ends the curse of becoming a donkey, but he is far from home. The whale, which seemed like a negative consequence turned out the be the means by which Pinocchio was returned to his village. When reunited with Geppetto, Pinocchio confesses his faults and promises to trust and obey his father. Immediately the magic happens, and he becomes a real boy. He got his wish because he learned by experience that trust was worth the risk.
Faith is what separates mankind from all other beings. It separates us from the animals because they do not possess the ability to reason and trust. They are instinctive. This instinct serves them well. Until it doesn’t. Angels see God by sight. They do not need to act in faith because, as Paul writes, when sight is there, faith is no longer needed. With faith or trust, risk is involved. So too is humility. These two do not come easy. I do not make light of it. We often use the phrase ‘a crisis of faith’. That is a good way to put it. We are pushed to our limits. Then we have a choice. Either we will trust our all-knowing and all-powerful creator, or we will trust the opinions and thinking of those who do not. It is an almost impossible decision. To trust when we have had a pattern of unfortunate experiences is life that would scream against it, is difficult. But there is no other way. There is no other source of peace and purpose. It is either trust God, or trust those who do not trust God. Just remember, the latter is built on lies and the former on truth.
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