I have been conducting an unofficial survey, asking some of the people I know:
Does it get easier, over the years, to trust in God?
By trusting, I mean, really trusting Him with every aspect of our lives. Surprisingly, the answers were all over the place. Without sounding arrogant, one of my friends told me that they worried less and less about material things because of their faith. It becomes a bit easier to trust Him, even though things don't always turn out the way they think they should. They are going through a very rough patch right now, and it deeply encouraged me to hear their testimony.
On the other side of the equation, another person I talked to feels that they have to work so hard to trust God's plans for them. They are also facing some tough circumstances, and they feel like God doesn't love them as much as His other children. It frankly made me really, really sad to hear them say that.
When I tried to answer this question for myself, I clearly saw a picture of a pile of dirty dishes in my kitchen sink. I don't have a dishwasher, and I have a tendency to sometimes leave my dirty dishes unattended, until I get to a point where I really need to do something. As I meditated on the meaning behind this picture, I realized how much I would love to have a clean and spotless apartment without having to work for it. I obviously can't hire a maid to do the work for me, so it's up to me to work toward keeping everything in order.
Does it get any easier? I don't know... I know that personally I need to work at it. I often need to remind myself of what He has done for me, before I can kick out any doubt out of my mind. I actually don't think I want it to become easier.
Well, I better get back to my dishes...or get a dishwasher maybe...
EED
Does it get easier, over the years, to trust in God?
By trusting, I mean, really trusting Him with every aspect of our lives. Surprisingly, the answers were all over the place. Without sounding arrogant, one of my friends told me that they worried less and less about material things because of their faith. It becomes a bit easier to trust Him, even though things don't always turn out the way they think they should. They are going through a very rough patch right now, and it deeply encouraged me to hear their testimony.
On the other side of the equation, another person I talked to feels that they have to work so hard to trust God's plans for them. They are also facing some tough circumstances, and they feel like God doesn't love them as much as His other children. It frankly made me really, really sad to hear them say that.
When I tried to answer this question for myself, I clearly saw a picture of a pile of dirty dishes in my kitchen sink. I don't have a dishwasher, and I have a tendency to sometimes leave my dirty dishes unattended, until I get to a point where I really need to do something. As I meditated on the meaning behind this picture, I realized how much I would love to have a clean and spotless apartment without having to work for it. I obviously can't hire a maid to do the work for me, so it's up to me to work toward keeping everything in order.
Does it get any easier? I don't know... I know that personally I need to work at it. I often need to remind myself of what He has done for me, before I can kick out any doubt out of my mind. I actually don't think I want it to become easier.
Well, I better get back to my dishes...or get a dishwasher maybe...
EED
1 comment:
In the largest sense, I can see where a history of relationship with God could be a small and important part of the foundation of faith (our baptism, major decions that God guided and blessed).
However, I am doubtful that experience can be a sole driver of faith. With your training in economics you may have heard this before(past results are not predictive of future returns).
Isn't faith by definition hope based on what we do NOT see(Hebrews 1:1)? My own faith is not entirely dependent on me, but what I can do is invest regardless of return, and return comes at God's timing.
It's probably best our results do not depend on our actions in a strickly linear, historical fashion. I like to think God has a sense of Humor mixed with majesty.
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