TEARS AND TRUST
Years ago, when my nephew Josh was about 9 years old we were out in the yard playing tag. He had tagged me and was running for all he was worth to get away from me. He was laughing and laughing as he looked back at me chasing him. Then he turned around and ran into a tree.
It knocked him right off his feet and I swear he took a bite right out of the tree bark. A couple of his teeth were loose and bleeding and he was crying uncontrollably. My sister, along with his aunt tried reasoning with him - telling him the bleeding was temporary, and that his teeth would be ok... but he just kept on crying.
Realizing this wasn't working, I asked them to step aside and I sat on the bed beside him. I gently put my hands on his shoulders and told him "Josh look at me."
And he did.
"Do you trust me?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Josh... you're gonna be ok. Your teeth are gonna be just fine. Do you trust me on that?"
He nodded again... and the tears dried up.... And he went outside to play.
All the reasoning in the world wasn't going to change how he felt. But his trust in me did.
It all depends on who you trust.
(From a sermon by Jeff Strite, Citizenship Has Its Privileges, 7/3/2011)