Trust

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Trust

Humans     Savior

Stretching     Reaching     Believing

Hope Is The Lord

Planted

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Jeremiah 17: 5 to 8

The Lord says: The person who trusts in human beings is cursed.

This one seeks strength in flesh causing the heart to abandon the Holy One.

Such a person is like a barren bush in the desert that does not change with the seasons but remains in a lava waste, an empty earth with salt.

The person who trusts in the Holy One and whose hope is the Lord will be blessed.

Such a one is like a tree that is planted by the waters. 

It stretches its roots to the stream.

The heat will not bother it.

Its leaves will remain green.

When there is a drought, it will have no distress.

It will bear fruit.

Reflection

Our reading from Jeremiah talks about the importance of trust. When we place our trust in human beings, we can be very disappointed.

Such a challenge for us because we can wonder: who else can I trust? In many situations I have to trust other people.

If I am working at my job, I have to trust my boss and fellow workers. If I get on a plane, I have to trust the mechanics and pilots. 

Jeremiah is referring to a person who trusts so much in other people that there is no room left for trust in God. It is the Adam and Eve situation: I don't trust in God because there is something that I want that is more important to me than following what God would want.

I place my desires first and trust in people who are trying to manipulate me, confuse me, and mislead me. A common example is the supposed "friend" who is trying to convince me of the benefits of experimenting with an illegal drug.

When I wind up like a "barren bush in the desert" as Jeremiah indicates, that "friend" is nowhere to be found. Then I ask, "Why did I ever trust in that person?"

In contrast, Jeremiah shows us what happens when we trust in the Lord. He uses the beautiful image of a tree that it planted near a stream. 

That tree is not bothered by the heat. While the other trees are dying, this tree gets stronger and still bears fruit.

We know that God will not abandon us. The Holy One will lead us along true paths. We will find hope.

We have all encountered people in our age who are disappointed and confused. They have been deceived by a person that they trusted. They placed that person on a pedestal and then found out that this person was lying to them or harming or taking advantage of others.

Jeremiah points us in a different direction. He tells us to ground our trust in God and to measure our other relationships by that grounding.

If we do that, then we will have no distress if a drought comes!

1. Have you ever been disappointed by someone you trusted?

2. What happens when we trust in the Lord?

3. How have you found hope in your life?

4. What do you see as you contemplate Kathy's photo?

(scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)