Faith. Trust. Those are two words that have been ruminating in my thoughts through the first half of this year. So, it seemed like a good reason to write some of my ponderings.
At the beginning of the year, I picked my word of the year. My word? TRUST. Lots of reasons that caused it to be my word. Trust leads to faith. They’re like two peas in a pod. They’re like Laverne & Shirley. Salt & Pepper. Peanut Butter & Jelly. Oh well, I digress…
Over the past several years, the membership at my church has declined. Various reasons, but with each exit of a person or a family, my heart hurts. Yet, in the midst of each departure, a still small Voice whispers…Trust Me. It’s hard sometimes, but I stay faithful to the church that helped me become who I am. You know that song recorded by Miranda Lambert, The House That Built Me, that’s how I feel about my church. Not the building -but the people, the ministry, and the belonging. So, I continue to serve faithfully and trust that He will walk the steps with me.
Trust leads me to faith. My faith in God helps me to trust Him. Then, I ponder…in what else do we have faith?
In my classroom, when I explain faith, we talk about how we have faith that the chair will hold us each time we sit. We don’t think and debate each time we sit down whether we should or should not. Alas, those chairs don’t always last. When the chairs start to wobble, they’re thrown out with the trash…literally. Faith is important, but what’s more important is in what or who we have faith….
When I was growing up, I often heard “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” when referring to the post office. Turns out that the saying has nothing to do with the post office, but it came from an ancient book and referred to messengers in the Persian Empire. It actually comes from book 8, paragraph 98, of The Persian Wars by Herodotus, a Greek historian.
Regardless, I’ve always had faith in our postal system. Each summer when I send post cards to my students, I trust that they’ll arrive within the week that I mail them. It’s a faith built on past experience. However, just like that chair doesn’t always hold up to the trust we have in it, my faith in the postal system also waivered. On April 12th, my sister mailed out invitations to my nephew’s wedding. Mine arrived on….June 10th. I kid you not. It took almost TWO entire months for my invitation to make it from Hanover to my house – which is less than a 10 minute drive. Granted, letters have to go through all the hoops of the postal system, but … that’s ridiculous! My faith has been severed. My trust has been abolished. When I send out my letters to my new students this summer, I’ll be sending them out 2-3 weeks ahead of school rather than just the week prior. Recent experience has destroyed the trust and faith.
Faith & trust also play important parts in relationships. Sometimes, I think it’s more hope than faith. We hope that one day feelings will be reciprocated and relationships will strengthen. In time, we find that the hope has been deflated and the faith we had in the connection has been extinguished. It’s part of life, I suppose.
Faith and trust aren’t infallible. Those we trust can betray us or a “little lie” can destroy it. The ones we have faith in can fall off the pedestal that they’re on and our hearts can feel betrayed. What do you trust? Where is your faith?
In the end, the only One who never falters is the One who created me (Father), gave His life for me (Son), and dwells within me (Holy Spirit). Those who don’t share my faith hurl swords at it on social media because to them it makes no sense. It doesn’t help that some who do share my faith have actions or words that tarnish the REAL faith. All I know is that the One who holds my faith is the One who also sees my tears. The One who reminds me that I’m worth it when I feel devalued. The One who reminds me that He has a plan for me and is using me to make an impact on the lives of others.
That Faith….that Trust….is my foundation and give me hope for tomorrow.
Thanks for reading my ponderings. Have a great day! Good-bye….
Jodi Lea Pflaumer, Author 