Avoiding Disappointment

Dear Friends,

What do you trust in the most? It’s a question I’ve been wrestling with in my own life, as the summer has been busy with things that have been out of my control. The result is that I’ve had to move through each day with a higher level of trust than I normally do - and that’s challenged me to consider where I have been putting my trust.

The reality of life is that everyone trusts in something. Some of us trust in our jobs, others in our education and training, others in our bank accounts. There are folks who trust in their relationships, or their families - and some who simply trust in their own abilities and talents. Whatever it is, we all have things in which we tend to trust when we're moving through our days. And eventually, we can even start to think that it's those things that give us meaning and purpose in life.

The problem with this mindset is that it goes against how God has called His people to live. Exodus 20:3 makes this clear, as God commands us: “You must not have any other god but me.” God wants to be what we trust in. He wants His power to be what sustains us. He wants His will to be what guides us - and what gives us purpose in life.

So when we trust in these other things, we’re not only disobeying God, we’re also setting ourselves up for defeat. Jeremiah 10:14 puts it this way: “Those who make idols will be disappointed.” So today, let’s take an honest look at our lives and see what we’re putting our trust in the most as we move through each day. And if there are things on that list above God, let’s surrender those things to Him - and ask Him to help us trust Him above all else.

Amen?

Daniel