Who Do You Trust? – 12 Days Of Christmas
Who do you trust? Steph recalls the need for trust while sliding down snowy hills on her crazy carpet. Read more of her “12 Days Of Christmas” series here.
A Winter Memory
Talk about an uphill climb . . .
One winter memory, though not specifically connected to Christmas, involves a Crazy Carpet; a snow-covered hill; and a long, precarious walk.
My dad had a friend with several acres of forest. My favourite portion of the property, however, was the long hill free of trees. I could ride my Crazy Carpet, a piece of heavy plastic made for sliding down snowy hills, for what seemed like forever. However, if my dad was not there to shuttle me to the top on his snowmobile, I had to walk … and walk and walk and walk.
I remember one particular day very clearly. There had been some thawing and freezing, which formed a layer of ice on top of several centimetres of snow. The only thing … the ice was not a consistent thickness. I never knew from one step to the next if I was going to break through the ice and sink up to my thigh.
It was a slow, cautious uphill climb. Could I trust the ice to hold my weight? Sometimes. At other times, down I went.
Who Do You Trust
What—or who—do we trust?
Do we trust our spouse? Our children? Our friends?
Do we trust our bank account? Our good health? Our job security?
Do we trust our police? Our soldiers? Our government?
Though we may trust our spouse completely, it doesn’t mean they’ll never let us down. And the reverse is true as well. There are times we will let them down.
And our kids? Though we may be a close-knit family, our sons and daughters will likely make decisions that will cause us concern—if not keep us up at night feeling as if our heart is in a vice. It’s often part of the growing up process.
And whether it’s our spouse, our children, or our friends … sometimes they will disappoint us. Sometimes they will let us down. The same is true of us. We won’t always say and do what we should and we certainly won’t always say and do what they want us to.
Uncertainty
From personal debt to severe stock market dips to total economic collapse … our bank account, no matter how impressive, cannot be trusted to see us through every eventuality. The world’s economic situation is far too uncertain.
Illness and disease can sneak up on us when we least expect it. One day we seem perfectly healthy and the next we get a shocking diagnosis from the doctor. There are things we can do to take care of ourselves—and I highly recommend doing them—but they are not a guarantee that we will not succumb to sickness.
We hear many stories about people losing their jobs because of downsizing and factory closings. Our job may seem secure, but it may not be.
I am thankful for law enforcement, military personnel, and government officials who are, in part, responsible for the life I enjoy. But even when they do the best they can, tragedies happen. That has become all too clear recently. It is our responsibility as Christians to pray for those in authority, not place unrealistic expectations on them.
Psalm 20:6-8 is an amazing passage. It says,
“Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.”
My climb over the ice was fun and has provided a happy memory. However, that was a relatively insignificant occurrence in the grand scheme of things. The things I’ve mentioned today are far more serious. Our children may have put their trust in someone or something that proved untrustworthy. And though we must do all we can to keep them safe, not even we can protect them from everything.
We must teach our sons and daughters to look to the Lord. We must teach them about His ability and His willingness to care for us. When everything seems to be crumbling around us, we must stand secure on the rock and teach our children they can do the same.
A House Upon A Rock
Matthew 7:24-27 is another good passage to memorize.
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
The parable reminds us that there is one we can trust who will never fail us. Our children need to know about His ability to care for us.
Click here to read the first post in the series.
How do you trust at Christmas? Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Steph Nickel
Steph Beth Nickel is eclectically interested and eclectically involved. In all she does, Steph seeks to nurture and inspire. She is currently working on the first book in a nonfiction series. Nurture and Inspire LOVE is a compilation of the first devotionals she wrote for HopeStreamRadio.
Steph is a freelance writer and editor. She is the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’ award-winning memoir, Living Beyond My Circumstances, published by Castle Quay Books. Deb and Steph are working on a follow-up book.
You can visit her website, stephbethnickel.com, to learn more about her.
Visit Steph’s contributor’s page or at Steph Nickel’s Eclectic Interests.
More Podcasts to Enjoy:
More Blogs
Christmas Through the Eyes of a Shepherd
This Unusual Summer: Sheltering In Place TBR Pile
Images Courtesy of:
Winter Fun – A Syed
Winter – Pawe³ Witek
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