Radical Trust

Looking back on some of my previous posts I realize that they are way too "churchy." I see much too much content related to what churches are doing, are not doing, should be doing, etc. There's not nearly enough on just seeking and inviting a relationship with Jesus. I wanted this blog to be an invitation to conversation for both those who are connected with congregations and those who are open to spiritual exploration, but who may not be open to organized religion right now.

So let's talk about trust. Do we really trust anybody or anything, fully? In some ways we've become a cynical culture, or maybe it's just me. We sort of presume the absence of trust. If politicians are moving their lips, they're lying, we think. Lock your doors and protect your on-line identity. Promises aren't good enough; get it in writing and get it notarized. What would it be like to trust someone or something without reservation; something a great Christian thinker and writer named Brennan Manning calls Ruthless Trust.

Remember the scene in the film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, when Harrison Ford's character steps blinding into the open area over a deep cavern, trusting his father's promise that his feel will land on something solid and he'll make it across? I'm talking about that kind of trust. The story of which Jesus is the center is loaded with that level of trust. Abram and Sarai trusting that they'll have a child after a lifetime of barrenness; Moses trusting that God will part the waters; David trusting that a small rock is sufficient to bring down a giant; Jesus trusting that there's life on the other side of the cross, to name a few examples.

In canoeing we're taught to trust the mainstream of a river. It may take us through rough moments, but it will resolutely move us downstream. What if there was a God who was that radically trustworthy?

Do you trust what's around the next bend in the river? Let's find out.