Worthy of Your Trust
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.”
We run from one demand to another. At times, it feels as though we are controlled by everyone else’s expectations and lose ourselves in the process. Our heads are spinning so fast that the only way to relax is to zone out in front of the television or mask the anxiety with alcohol. The whiplash between chasing demands and tuning out leaves us numb and ineffectual.
The respected spiritual author and Roman Catholic priest Henri Nouwen, in a book of his teachings, Following Jesus, affirms that “Jesus says, ‘Follow me.” Don’t keep running around. Follow me. Don’t just sit there. Follow me.” “Follow me” requires us to stop following others when they are at odds with Jesus. Hence, the quote from Matthew 6:24. God sends Jesus into the world to lead us in a healthier direction. Jesus will lead us in a life-changing manner that will free us from the bondage of keeping up and checking out.
Henri Nouwen paints a picture of a new way of living. “’Follow me,’ everything becomes different. The life that seemed so dull, so boring, so exhausting suddenly is a life that has a direction.” Jesus walks with us from wandering to joyfully following. Jesus gives our lives direction, so we are not pushed and directed by others with their own selfish intent. Our Triune God is the only entity that has our best interests at heart, without any self-interest. The way Nouwen puts it, “The voice is not a voice that will force itself on us. It is a voice of love, and love doesn’t push or pull.” When we feel God guiding us, we can trust that God has our best interests at heart.
When everyone seems to have an angle, and many use us for their own self-interest, it is freeing to know that God remains focused on what is best for us. Trust freely given can be trust abused. Yet when we trust God, we can let our guard down, relax, and know that we are accepted and loved. You may not be able to slow down, with so many responsibilities in play, but you can focus your direction and where you place your trust. You are valuable enough that so many people want a piece of you. Value yourself enough to give yourself to the only one worthy of you: God, in Jesus, through the Holy Spirit!
