Recently I was having a conversation with a dear friend of mine, Tres Washington, and we were talking about trust. Do we really trust that the Lord knows what’s best, healthiest, and most satisfying for our lives?

Take a deep breath and really think about this question: Do you trust the creator?

Trust:
1. Firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.
2. Confidence placed in a person by making that person the nominal owner of property to be held or used for the benefit of one or more others. Example: your life.

One of the things that is preached over and over in the New Testament by Jesus as well as those who followed “The Way” is, “Ask. Ask with boldness. Ask in faith. Ask for anything. And the things you desire that are in alignment with His sovereign oversight of your life, He will give you and they will be greater than anything you dreamed.”

Certain words are used to describe this giving: Abundance. Over-flowing. Joy. Perfection.

But, at the end of the day [or the beginning], do you and I really believe this?

I don’t always, and when I do it is only within a specific issue, and rarely the entirety of my life.

So what does statement does this say about our faith?

Is it actually faith? Defined as: the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen

Or, is it hoping that we get what we want, when we want, and if we don’t then we sacrifice our relationship with God and go get it ourselves? My previous post exposes my struggle with this, check it out here.

This question came to me as I was evaluating my life, observing the life around me, and discussing the journey of my friend Tres.

I have seen in the lives of people around me, and lived out myself, a lack of faith as it has been defined. We trust God with relationships until someone comes along that bring us happiness but doesn’t bring us true joy, which leads to a shift in our priorities, rather than a stance in our convictions. This same situation plays out in every aspect of our lives. Another example being money, for instance: trusting God with our well-being and that He will actually provide our needs, until our jealousy for what others have turns into a lust and we disregard the necessary lessons set out before us.

Is this you?

Has your Christianity become an emotional crutch that you “can’t live without” until you decide to take steps in another direction? Is God viewed as Santa Clause in your world? Or is calling yourself a Christian just a way to hide from facing your fears, pains, and shortcomings; another mask to hide behind?

These are harsh questions, I realize that, but they are necessary questions.

How do we actively evaluate these tough questions? With more tough questions, of course!

Take your lunch break, an afternoon, or an entire day and separate yourself from the noise and ask yourself these questions:

• Why Jesus/Christianity?
• Do I really believe this crazy narrative, or is it another mask I wear?
• Are there any examples in my life of how an honest Christian pursues faith and trust in   the Creator?
• If I were to actually believe that I am a son/daughter, prince/princess of the King of kings creator God, how would it effect the daily details of my life?
• Is there someone in my life I can dialogue with about these questions?

This I can assure you, people are watching, observing, judging, and waiting for your life to speak truth to them. They will follow you no matter which way you go. Those watching will do what you do. Where are you leading the onlookers?

While sitting in church a few weeks ago, I let a beautiful little four-year-old use my journal to draw on [we were drawing pictures for each other] and she handed me this… At four years old, she wanted to do what I had done; the desire to follow in strong footsteps doesn’t stop at childhood.

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As always, thank you for reading! Please feel free to comment, disagree, ask a question, or share your experiences in the comments. I love the conversation we create!