Faith and Trust--Sunday Reflection

In our Sunday School class we are studying Genesis. Today's class focused on the creation of humanity--in God's image. We discussed what that meant in our lives today. We focused on the word "dominion" and that it meant being a servant of the land and people, not a dictator. In our lives today, we run across many people who believe that being "in charge" means "bossing," "controlling," and "domineering." Come on, you all know someone who is like that, or perhaps you see it in yourself. We all act and react differently according to the situation. As servants of God's creation, we should be taking care of the land, taking care of each other, and leading by example rather than domineering others. We are all responsible for each other and the world around us.

I had another discussion this week about faith and trust. An analogy was given on a child standing on the side of a swimming pool, the parent in the water with arms opened, and that child's complete faith and trust that the parent would catch them when the child jumped. A child is born with the trust that the person caring for them will nurture them, love them, and protect them. Where do we lose that faith and trust?

As a vision for our church, we are being tasked to reach out to those who don't know Jesus, show them that Jesus loves them, and to pray for them. As christians, we tend to flock to other christians because we are comfortable with them. We all seek comfort in the "known" and "safe" zones of our lives. Why can't we be like that little child at the swimming pool and trust in God? In our society today, to try and befriend a stranger could mean putting our lives in danger. Do we trust God to bring us through that fire?

I would like to. I am created in God's image. He blessed me with the ability to think and to make decisions. He would like me to walk in the path He envisioned when He created me. But I fail. Daily I fail. I know that to do honor to Him, I need to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. I know, I care, I desire to do this. But I am not as strong in faith and trust as that little child.

How about you?