Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Misplaced Trust / Fear
"We could talk about your past experiences and how they influence your framework for relationships now, but I just don't think that's really the problem for most of us. I am more convinced than ever that our insecurities have less to do with our past experiences with people and much more to do with our current view of God.
Here's what I mean. You say that your hurt from a previous relationship caused you to have a general distrust towards men. I'm sure there is truth to that, but here's what I think is really going on: that it's not men you generally distrust, but God.
What many of us do, even those of us who are serious Christians, is give to other humans the level of trust that can only be reserved for God, and give God the level of trust that would be about appropriate for humans. We flip-flop our trusts, and when we do that, we are setting ourselves up for a big-time disappointment.
Humans cannot deliver like God can, and it is an offense to God to be trusted like a mere human. God will never, never, never let us down. Never. He chastens; He disciplines; He often allows our selfish choices to have their natural consequences — all for the purpose of leading us back to Him.
But He will never drop the ball on our behalf.
...
I care about what my wife thinks of me. I certainly want her to think I'm attractive, intelligent, godly, fun, and basically the world's greatest husband and father. But I simply cannot be more concerned about what she thinks than about what God thinks, not even close. This isn't just a misplaced priority. If I am more concerned about what another human thinks of me than I am about what God thinks, it is idolatry, pure and simple."
John Thomas
in Boundless Answers Webzine: Misplaced Trust
"...But we don't have to be slaves to the opinions of other, fallen creatures. We can be set free by seeking the approval and praise of God. This is what defines a godly woman: "Do not let your adorning be external — the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing — but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious" (1 Peter 3:3-4).
That gentle, quiet spirit is not limited to a certain personality type. It's not like the God who made an enormous variety of people suddenly wants us to act like clones of each other — every woman wearing flowered skirts, sipping tea, and never speaking up.
This passage echoes the wisdom of that Proverbs 29:25 verse: "The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe." Some translations say whomever trusts in the LORD will be protected or exalted. The literal translation is "raised high" — either to a protective place or to an exalted place.
The point is, a gentle and quiet spirit is one who trusts in the Lord. That trust can be expressed through a wide range of temperaments, from quiet to boisterous. Like a dancer, it is not so much how the moves are made but where we are looking that expresses true fear of the Lord. The benefit is that we are released from being slaves to the opinions of others so that we can love them without strings attached. As Ed Welch writes:
The most radical treatment for the fear of man is the fear of the Lord. God must be bigger to you than people are.... Regarding other people, our problem is that we need them (for ourselves) more than we love them (for the glory of God). The task God sets for us is to need them less and love them more.
A woman who loves for the glory of a very big God is truly worthy of praise."
Carolyn McCulley
in Boundless Answers Webzine: Whom do You Fear?
~1:00 am