Trust is a powerful word. It requires believing in what we do not see. For most, trust is not automatically given; it is earned. Giving and receiving trust is at the core of any healthy relationship.
Being married to a sailor has required long periods of separation due to deployments, work-ups, and business travel. I can’t imagine how difficult the last 20 years would have been if my husband and I didn’t have a deep trust in each other’s integrity and desire for a pure relationship. This trust has come through years of prioritizing our relationship through sacrificing comfort for the sake of connecting.
I’ll never forget one early morning phone call in 2007. The kids were still asleep and I was looking forward to a morning to sleep in, yet, I answered the phone hoping it was my husband on the other end. Sure enough, he had found a satellite phone to make the call, but in order to get a signal, he had to stand in the snow on top of a building in Iraq. (Yeah, I didn’t know that it snowed in Iraq either!) It was a short but sweet conversation that left both of us grateful to know that the other was ok and we were each deeply loved. Communicating across time zones has not been easy, and oftentimes one or both of us have been tired or hungry at the point when we were both available to talk, yet we have prioritized this time because we knew that it was good for our relationship. This continually built trust.
John 2:24-25 says, “But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew all about people. No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.” In these verses, John expresses the distrust that Jesus had in the people that he encountered. He knew their motives and the darkness of their hearts. They didn’t know him, and they were not about pursuing a relationship with him.
My husband and I know and trust each other as much as possible for two human beings, but being known and trusted by God goes much deeper. Being fully known is a deep human longing. With Jesus, there are no secrets in our lives – nothing is hidden from God. We are utterly and completely known and loved regardless of our failures. While this reality is sobering, it also offers so much freedom. Freedom to be honest and freedom to pursue a genuine relationship with our Lord.
What exists within the depths of your soul? As a human being, you are simply not perfect and God knows that. But are you invested in a relationship with him? Do you sacrifice your time and comfort to get to know Jesus? Even when you fail, God knows your heart. Does he trust you?
Lynette Fuson
Care & Counseling Director