A Broken Trust

My title seems like it's going to be sort of deceiving, doesn't it? "A Broken Trust" - what's that supposed to mean exactly? It sort of seems like maybe I am about to start ranting about how someone broke my trust or something, but that's not what this is about at all. So, take those ideas and shove 'em far far far away, because we don't need them! Although, this blogpost is about trust, just perhaps not the kind that would first come to your mind when you hear the word.

I have a friend, and saying she is incredible and wonderful and absolutely the greatest person on the entire planet wouldn't do her justice, because she is so much better than that. Every time I get together with her, I am blown away by just how unique and amazing she is - literally, blown away. I really am blessed that God put her in my life, because there aren't even words to describe my thankfulness. She is a beautiful godly woman and constantly manages to teach me something new. But, this has to do with trust, not just me getting to brag about an amazing friend! Anyway, let's get to our story.

I ended up getting the opportunity to hang out with this girl recently (which was fantastic, by the way), and as we were talking we got into a more serious conversation about our lives. She was telling me a story about when she had been going through a difficult time and how instead of just sitting around and wallowing, she decided to sit down and pray - yes, pray. Isn't it weird how often times, our first reaction isn't to pray, but to have a pity party? So, I asked her what happened when she prayed, and she said, "I was just asking God what I should do, and all of a sudden, clear as day, He said 'trust me'." Trust me. Trust me. Trust me, God, the Father, your Lord. You know what she told me after that? She said that she would trust God, because He had asked her to. How easy she made it seem - or how easy it actually was.

Sometimes it's hard to trust God...or rather, it's hard to allow Him to have the steering wheel in our lives. We constantly feel as if we know best and that we could write a better story for our lives than He could. Unfortunately, that isn't true. I personally know exactly what it feels like to have a broken trust between God and I, and I can honestly tell you that the broken trust wasn't initiated by God, but by me. Sometimes I struggle with trusting God, because I worry about whether or not He'll do what I want most. I worry that, perhaps, God doesn't entirely know what I want and that He might not give me specifically these things. Or other times, I get worried that He is going to shake up my world and change my plans, something which is really hard for me to understand.

Recently, I thought I had all these plans. I was running around like crazy with a broken trust between God and I, because instead of trusting Him to make my life beautiful, I was trusting myself. Want to know what trusting yourself gets you? A few bumps and bruises and tears. Want to know what trusting God gets you? A wonderful life full of ease and happiness. Those seem very different when you compare them that way, don't they? Which is why I say to you, fix your broken trust between yourself and the Creator. He knows - knows - the plans that He has for you (Jeremiah 29:11), and that is something we need to trust in. Butting in and changing things throws around God's trust like an old shirt you're too lazy to hang up - crazily and constantly. God told my friend to trust Him, and she did...instead of her life turning to shambles, she went through the rough patch but came out better before, instead of going through a constant battle if she would've just trusted herself. Whatever happens (or is happening) in your life, whether good or bad, trust God, because he ultimately knows the plan.

Trust God. Don't trust yourself. Sometimes satan tries to trick us by telling us we know best, when really, we don't know that much at all. Sure, we may know a couple of cool facts, but not all of those combined can compare to what God knows. If you have a broken trust with God, perhaps it's time to fix that once and for all, and gain the life God has originally planned for you.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which paths to take." Proverbs 3:5-6

Concerning Hobbits

Somehow, no matter what mood I happen to be in - whether happy, sad, angry, etc. - Lord of the Rings always seems like a good idea. In honor of some of my close best friends, my love for all things Hobbit-y and my dear sweet father, I have decided to write a blogpost "concerning Hobbits". Now, you might be wondering why I could be writing a blogpost on Hobbits and how on earth it is going to somehow translate into a spiritual lesson. Well, don't you fret my good friend, because there are spiritual lessons in everything - even in Hobbits.

The word "humility" is related to the word "humus", which means "dust" or "earth". Thousands of years ago, a humble person could be seen bowing at the feet of someone great, causing them to be close to the ground and "in the dust". In the Bible, a picture of this is painted when Jesus washes the feet of the disciples in a "bowing" manor, close to the ground and in the dust. In the earlier years, the lower you bowed - the closer to the ground you got - the more humility and respect you had for the person you were bowing to. Sort of like how in the Bible times, when one was praying they laid face down in the dirt, because they were offering up respect and humility towards the Lord.

Did you know the average height of a Hobbit is three foot six inches? I bet you didn't, but now you do. That seems awfully tiny, doesn't it? It seems awfully...close to the ground. Hobbits are small folk and often called "half-lings" because of their stature. One of the greatest lessons we can learn from Hobbits is how to be humble. These little creatures portray humility more than any other person or creature in all of Middle-Earth, giving us a clear picture of how "humus" is displayed. At first, it makes no sense as to why Tolkien would send such a small creature into Mordor, full of darkness, danger and death. It also makes no sense as to why Gandalf would ask a Hobbit to come on an adventure with him to go fight off a dragon with only rowdy dwarves as companions. Why, pick creatures so small? Why would Gandalf pick beings so unable to stand up and declare their territory, instead of elves or men? Because they are humble and close to the ground.

Hobbits do not fancy themselves as equals to the mighty people of Middle-Earth. They want nothing to do with wild wizards, the insane deeds of men and the ancient and wondrous elves; they prefer to be left in their homes; homes that are created beneath the "earth". For example, in the beginning of The Hobbit, Tolkien begins describing a hole. "In a hole, in the ground lived a Hobbit..." - here, we see the humble Hobbit living in a humble home. How often do we bury ourselves in humility and hide away to spend some time with God, just as the Hobbits hide away for peace?

If you have ever watched Lord of the Rings or read the books, perhaps you wonder why the Ring affects almost anyone around it, but hardly affects the Hobbits. Well, that is because the Hobbits do not think themselves as anyone or anything special. They see no extravagance in the way they live; they see no reason to be vain, unlike the elves that are pristine and the men that constantly seek power. The Hobbits, seek nothing. They live to enjoy their simple lifestyles with what they have, instead of fighting for something they do not need. How often we as humans fight for something we do not need, instead of investing our time into something we do need (God)?

Sometimes it's a little hard to be humble - no, often times it's really hard! When we serve, sometimes we want every single person to know the good we're doing, because we think we must brag about our goodness. When really, everything we do is to be done not out of vain, but out of humility and servitude. Do you think Frodo decided to take the Ring to Mordor because he wanted to be lifted up and exalted? No! Frodo took the Ring to Mordor because he was willing to sacrifice his own life in humility; to save the ones he loved. Want to know who did the same thing? Well...Jesus did, that's who. When he performed miracles, he didn't boast about his abilities; instead, he passed like a ship in the night pretending that he was just an ordinary man.

So who are you? Are you a Hobbit or a Saruman? Do you bow before the Lord and serve out of humility? Or do you stand before God and brag about all the "good things" you're doing? Perhaps it's time to ask God for a little less bragging and a little more humility. And maybe, it's time to be a little more like Jesus and a little less like satan.

"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:4