teach us to trust

Father, we come . . .

confessing our struggle with trust.


we suggest it is earned, yet i'm not sure about that.

can it really be something that only comes through effort?

i don't believe You earn our trust in order to be deemed trust-worthy.

it's up to us to choose to trust You, You who is already worthy of our trust.


trust is hope
     . . . evidence in what we cannot see.


lead us to reconsider what trust is, Father.

we confess we hold back our hope for people as a way of protecting ourselves.

all the while, you love us all -- no matter what we do or do not do.

so help us to trust You through the grace You give us to love others, as they are.

let it be You who we're trusting and not them.

work out your courageous, bold, and radical love in us 

     to treat all people with royalty.

remind us that our being connected with people isn't coincidence

You align us with people and want us to trust that You weave us together for purpose

loose our control over people and our insistence that they do something for us to love them

fling wide the window of our heart to let You in, to work out and through us

help us to trust that You will protect us, even though . . . and even if . . . he or she hurts us.


amen.