Trust in Relationships

Sunday, May 4, 2014

I’ve been thinking for a while that many if not most people seem to think that God gave us a physical life that has no meaning or connection to the spiritual life we are seeking. Like children in school who just can’t see how they’ll ever use the “random” (to them) lessons they are being taught, many people don’t see that God has designed this physical life to teach us eternal lessons and truths.

Mankind is all about relationships, and relationships are built on trust and mutual respect. How can I trust someone who lies to me; assaults me; cheats me; lies about me; steals from me, and disregards the things I say upset me? Is it not obvious that there are rules; laws that govern personal and business and all types of relationships? So why should it be a big surprise that God gets to say how He wants to be treated? If you want a relationship with God, does He not deserve respect and to be able to trust you? How can He trust you if you lie to Him, cheat Him, lie about Him, steal from Him, and disregard the things He says upset Him?

If relationships aren’t important, why did God put us in a world with so many relationships? I suppose He could have put each one of us on our own little planet, but He didn’t. Does that not imply that there is something to be learned from being in a world full of many different people?

Mankind has proven that we don’t know how to have peace with each other. We aren’t even doing very well with just a one-on-one relationship… marriage. We’ve failed miserably trying to get along with each other, as exemplified in all the wars that have been fought.

It hurts to be betrayed. It doesn’t matter if you are a kindergartner or if you are God, betrayal hurts.

If you want a relationship, you have to take into consideration how your actions affect the other person. By the same token, if you want a relationship with God, you have to take into consideration how your actions affect Him.

God made us to have relationships. So, can the people you are close to or not even so close to, trust you? Can God trust you?

–Mary Jo Jackson