T(r)oy's Marbles
2.1 preparing for Christ's coming (trust)
Today we commence week 2 of Advent. We are in the midst of a series of reflections on differing themes. Last week's theme was hope as seen through the prophets. This week, we look at the theme of trust as we see it exhibited by Joseph and Mary.
To start this series of reflections at the beginning of week 1 on hope, click here.
To read a general introduction to Advent, click here.
To download a PDF of week 2 reflections on trust, click here
The Nature of Trust
Okay, let me just say it: Everything is relative.
Since this statement will likely raise a few eyebrows from some Christians, let me explain. Often, the things in life that really matter, those things that really count, are relative to the conditions in which they exist. Everything is measured in terms of everything else.
Last week, for example, we saw that there is hope—and then there is Hope. Depending on the object desired and the conditions in which you currently live, the measure of hope you possess varies. If someone says, “I hope to go home for Christmas this year” and if that someone happens to be a wealthy businessman with two weeks of vacation still coming to him, the measure of hope is rather miniscule compared to say, for example…
A homeless, unemployed Romanian beggar living in Spain. In that instance, if she said “I want to go home for Christmas this year”, you can be sure her hope would be of the Capital H variety. (Of course, we’d be talking about something entirely different if that wealthy businessman were to state a desire to go home for Christmas had he just gone through a year-long separation from his family due to marital difficulties. That, you can be sure, would also be Hope, as opposed to hope).
The fact that the prophets “hoped against all hope” tells us they possessed BIG hope. Hope is relative. It’s measured in terms of the object desired and the “given circumstances” in which you currently live. Hope is measured in terms of everything else.
Trust is like that, too. In that sense, trust is proven and tested. It’s easy to trust God when things are going well. It’s something entirely different to trust God when things are difficult. Like hope and Hope, the former is trust, while the latter is Trust.
So let’s talk about Mary and Joseph. The question is: What kind of trust do we see in their instance? Did they Trust God? or did they merely trust God? Another way of posing the question would be to ask: “Was it easy for them to trust God?”
Put that way, we would be compelled to answer: “Not on your life!” I mean, just look at what they were up against!
What do you think it must have been like for Joseph to tell his family (who would likely disown him) that he and Mary had, in fact, not consummated their betrothal through sexual relations before the official marriage? (Remember, that was a BIG no-no in those days!) I imagine that took a certain measure of trust to “stand up to them” and defend his would-be wife. It took trust that God would work it all out and trust that, “Yes, that was God that spoke to me in a dream. I am not going crazy.”
And what do you think it must have been like for Joseph and Mary to make the trip to Bethlehem (a forced trip, due to Roman imposition), knowing that the baby’s arrival was soon approaching? And where were they to have the baby should Mary deliver during their stay in Bethlehem? It took trust for them to make that fateful journey; trust that, somehow, God would provide.
And it even took trust for Mary to believe the angel Gabriel in the first place. I mean, after all, look what happened when the same angel appeared to Zechariah, telling him he would be the father of John the Baptist. Zechariah, a priest, as experienced as he was, with all the wisdom of the years that he had acquired, could not find it in himself to trust the word of the Lord. In that light, Mary’s trusting response is astounding, indeed. An example, really.
Yes, trust is measured in the light of the surrounding context and conditions.
Okay, that said: a couple more notes about trust.
One: Trust is only as good as the object trusted. The Psalmist declares: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalm 20:7) Chariots break apart and horses grow old, but God is eternally strong and mighty to save. In spite of that, some choose to put their trust, whether they realize it or not, in the things of this world. Perhaps it’s easier to do as such. But, it is not smarter.
Imagine that I have gotten into a horrible argument with my wife. And now imagine that I want to make it up to her. So, I decide that it will be just the thing to bring her flowers and candy to sort of “butter her up.”
Now, my wife is, of course, smarter than me. While I think a simple offering of gifts and a plaster smile will patch things up, she knows that something greater is wanting. We all know, in fact, that, if I really want to make things better with her, I need to put my faith in a better plan. I need to trust that, should I go to her and beg her forgiveness and then strive to change, things will be better, flowers or no flowers.
If there’s a dis-ease in our relationship, taking any kind of pill will not cure my sickness. I need to take the right kind of pill. Though sincerity of faith does make a difference, it does not make all the difference. If I sincerely believe that taking a cyanide pill will clear my ears when what’s wanted is an antibiotic, no amount of faith will change that truth. If I put my faith in the wrong thing, I am more misguided than enlightened. And, in fact, in many instances, misguided faith is deadly.
This is to say: trust is only as good as the object trusted. That’s why we’ll be focusing on the Christ himself during this season. It doesn’t do us any good to trust in a mere idea like goodwill or generosity or even love or hope, if what God’s after is trust in an actual Person. See, though all of these ideas come from God, they are not God Himself. And trusting merely in those abstract concepts would be like taking an aspirin to treat our cancer, when what we really need is chemotherapy or an operation. And this is why God became human in the person of Jesus Christ. God wants us to put our trust in a certain Person, not merely in a set of “nice ideas”, no matter how “nice” those ideas might be.
On “the flip side of the coin”, however, let it be noted that trust does play a part in our ability to apprehend the Truth. In other words, trust does matter, full stop. Some time ago, I wrote this to a friend:
“If God moves to reveal himself to me…” (as we see in the case of Christ’s birth) “…and if I respond with unbelief to His loving revelation, I cut myself off from relating to God, in the same way that I cut myself off from my wife if I persist in disbelieving her when she tells me she loves me. To really relate to her, then, a leap of faith is required of me, a trusting that what she says is true, even though I cannot scientifically prove it to be true. And, unless I move towards her in faith, I will never know it to be true. But, if I trust her and choose to stand in close relation to her, I will then know in a deeply personal, intuitive way that, yes, she does in fact love me. I will know it because I have experienced it for myself.
“…what I am not saying is that believing something makes it true or that truth is dependant upon my belief... But, what my belief does change is my ability to see, to apprehend the truth. And, yes, faith is an essential part of that.”
So, faith matters. The coming of Christ is God’s way of saying “I love you” and “I want you to know Me” to all of humanity. We can choose to believe that message and trust that what has been revealed to us is actually true or we can choose to doubt and disbelieve. And your choice makes all the difference in the world. Since God is after friendship with us in the sending of His Son, our choice is really the choice between alienation from God or friendship with God. It’s that important.
That’s why we’ll be looking at Joseph and Mary as examples of trust and belief. My prayer is that we will all follow their example, and, in so doing, know God like never before.
To read the next reflection, click here.
teachings | Comments (0) | December 10, 2006