Who Do You Trust?
Who do you trust?
Growing up as an optimist, I was a very trusting person. I’m quick to give myself fully to strangers, and while I’ve never had a shortage of friends, my naive optimism has often left me crushed. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned to better guard my heart with a dose of realism. To trust someone is an emotional risk.
When it comes to my faith in Jesus, I can be very sceptical. Have you ever doubted his promises to be faithful to you with no strings attached? I have. I feel it when I’m conscious of my flaws, and I doubt that he would accept me as I am. I feel it in my unworthiness before him, and I doubt that he would always have my back. Surely Jesus is busy, or preoccupied with ‘good’ people.
The more I learned about who he is, the more I realised that Jesus is different to anyone I had ever met. He has the supernatural ability to know people by name, and to see into their hearts. While we try to impress the world by hiding behind our masks and walls, good works and filters; what is invisible to man, is completely visible to God.
Jesus, unlike me, is not a naive optimist. He fed and healed crowds, knowing they were just taking advantage of his powers. He washed Judas’ feet knowing he would betray him. He befriended Peter knowing he would deny him. Jesus is so faithful that he was willing to risk his whole life to draw near to unfaithful people.
His faithfulness culminated when he allowed himself to be strung up on a Roman Cross. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is the distressed cry of a soul in hell, separated from God and others. Hell is eternal rejection, loneliness and judgement. It’s what I deserve for abandoning my King in times of fear, selfishness and doubt. And yet Jesus was stripped so that my hypocrisy would never be exposed. He was mocked so that I would never be shamed. He was forsaken so that in spite of my flaws, I would never be cut off from the source of eternal love and life.
When I fix my eyes on the wounds of my Saviour, it empowers me to trust and surrender. Who else can claim to know me in all my ugliness, and still choose to go to hell in my place?
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
– Romans 5:8
