In difficult times...who do you trust?

When I think about all the questions I have been asked in life, one question comes to my mind as more important then others. That one question is, “In whom do you place your trust”? There are many great politically correct answers an individual could share. Depending upon the context the questioned is asked would have some barring as to the answer. Just imagine you are facing an unknown path. Imagine you have been struggling for help looking for answers but you have yet to discover what you believe you are looking for. So who do you trust in those types of situations?
I answered that very first question with a very simple three letter word, I said God. God to me is Jesus Christ. He is the one I trust when I don’t know the direction to go or turn and He is the one I trust when I am standing still listening for the answer to come. Jesus Christ is the one I place my trust in when I have been butting my head up against a wall because everything I do seems to be wrong and nothing I do seems to ever work out. This situation can be frustrating and it may very well make you want to quit, stop believing and just go and hide. The discipline of placing your trust in Jesus is easy at the beginning of that relationship with Him, but when you get some of life’s adult experiences under your belt and you get that bitter taste in your mouth that’s when the question becomes one that matters for your daily steps of faith.
As a pastor and minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I know that not everyone likes me. Not everyone likes positions I have taken on issues, or things I believe should be the daily practice of those professing the name of Christ. Sometimes you don’t even have to say a single word as some individuals will not like you because of where you are from, who you married, or even the friends you have. People don’t like others because of the types of automobiles someone else might drive, or there maybe dislike because you just simple heard something and you base your entire opinion on that ‘hear say’ as the final evidence you needed before you planted in concrete your disposition.
In dealing with people remembering that folks are human is important. 28 years of ministry has taught me that most folks that will not forgive another have a difficult time sharing the name of anyone they have ever personally forgiven. They live and walk their lives in a bitterness that robs them of peace and the ability to smile. Trusting people is a practice we must exercise. Will you experience let downs because folks are human, absolutely. Are there consequences because of our actions, yes. Can we expect that we will hurt people, totally. Will such moments be easily identified by ourselves, sometimes but not always. What is the best approach to living life and who should people trust? My advice: Live life that allows you to experience hurts and to see failures as those moments that occur and that require us to work diligently to minimize. Live life loving people, working to the good of others believing that God has an abundant plan for each of us always, in every situation. If this is or becomes your position you too will be able to say when asked in whom you believe, you can simply say, in God.

Until then