Two-Way Street

The story is as old as time – new kid moves to town, girls instantly like him, guys instantly hate him. He’s rather mysterious, bringing with him new fangled ideas that upset the established order and threaten an age old way of life.

This new fangled idea is so upsetting that it not only turns friends against each other, the fear of it pits family members against one another. Eventually the heat gets turned up, protests are organized, threats are made and ultimatums contemplated. No matter what a citizen’s thoughts are on the matter one thing is certain, win, lose or draw, there will be no going back to the old order of things.

Eventually, a leader rises above the fray and is heard. His heart is heavy, his spirit is torn. He stands for the old way, the way it always has been and was thought always would be. But he is beginning to understand, to see that things change, that perhaps there is room for growth and new ideas.

His question is simple – “If we don’t start trusting our children, how will they ever become trustworthy?”

The question is simple, the answer certainly is not.

Most of you know how the movie ends. The dance goes forward, albeit in the county next door; giving the parents a chance to trust their children and the children a chance to show that they are worthy of that trust.

This storyline is not unique to Hollywood. It is a storyline that has been playing itself out again and again for more than 2,000 years. It began with a young man from Nazareth who came to town with some pretty new fangled ideas and asked the people to trust Him. Some did, some did not. His storyline is still playing out long after the non-trusters thought, mistakenly, they won.

This storyline plays out through you and me. We are asked to trust and believe in new fangled ideas.  We are asked to trust in what we cannot see or hear.  Scripture asks us to seek God and trust in Him, so we do. We seek His provision and protection. We seek His healing and guidance. We seek His wisdom and peace. And He provides all of that and more. 

But I have to admit that there are times when frankly, what God is providing is just not enough. Or it is just enough and not one ounce more. What I am really looking for is more than enough; I am looking for that abundance the bible talks about. Where can I get my hands on some of that?

Jesus tells me exactly where I can get it. In the parable of the 3 servants. (Matt. 25:14-30). A man went away and entrusted his servants with his money to look after while he was gone. He gave them each different amounts but each amount was very large. Each servant did something different with the money (talents) – one invested greatly and his talents grew greatly, one invested a little and his grew a little, and the third was afraid of losing his master’s money so he buried it and did nothing.

Of the servants who invested wisely the master said when he returned, “Well done, my good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.” The one who buried his talents was punished.

Trust. Turns out it’s a two way street. We are to trust God “with all our heart and all our soul” (Deut. 10:12) and He will do the same.  We are asked to trust but we are also asked for trust.  When walk with God and fully put our trust in Him, He will trust us in return. He will give us bigger and bigger blessings and responsibilities as we show we are ready for them and able to handle them. Like any good parent, our Heavenly Father wants nothing more than for us to be fully trustworthy, good and faithful children, able to receive all He has for us. And He will do all He can to make us succeed in that endeavor. 

Having trust while being trustworthy, that’s a storyline better than anything Hollywood ever dreamed up.
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