Creer o Confiar

A couple weeks ago our Pastor preached on believing vs. trusting. Most of the time, it is easy to believe, even in our crazy-mixed up world. It's easy to believe that there is a god in the good & the bad. And almost everyone, at some point in life, seeks prayer or prays to a god themselves. So believing, we've got that down...

But to trust...trusting is something else. To trust means to let go & give your all to someone else. It means to abandon your own desires, feelings, dreams, experiences, & lives willingly; to lose control. It's like submitting your life to someone else in a marriage, only giving your all -- no compromises, just giving your all. Trusting in God can be one of the scariest things ever; He's not quite as tangible as your spouse or a friend. But He calls us to not only believe, but to trust in Him.

For us, that meant risking our finances in the past with job changes & career choice. At this moment, it meant giving a year of life to Mexico (though it really hasn't been too bad!). When I think of others I know, it's meant giving up that dream job for something less appealing. But these things seem light in comparison to what others face in life -- others less fortunate.

Oscar is a kid who lives in Colli near the Cancha (the basketball court where we do our kids ministry each Saturday). This is one of the poorest areas around, & though it's only a few miles away, it is a world of difference. Most of the families have four or five kids with not enough $$ to feed even one. Both parents work hard to make not even a couple dollars each week. Drugs & crime are rampant because for many there is no other hope. Life appears bleak & cold, desolate & grim.

Oscar is about twelve years old (mas o menos) and has four siblings. His father is a trash collector -- I'm not quite sure if he gets paid to collect trash, or if he collects the trash & then makes his living from what he is able to re-sell. As you drive up the old dirt road, you will find houses of cement, overcrowded with large families of five or six. Amidst these cement blocks is Oscar's house -- a large hump of debris & rubble, representing a trash dump. The inside is a cesspool of pests & pollution.

A few months ago, a kid threw wet cement in Oscar's eye leaving him mostly blind. It has almost reached the point where if nothing is done soon, he will never be able to see in that eye again. His parents do not have the means to even consider surgery an option, or any other source of help. But with the support from a missionary family, it is possible for Oscar to have surgery & regain his sight.

But what do his parents do? How should they be able to believe and trust that all will be well in the end? In order for Oscar to have the surgery & fully recover, he must live in a group home for the next two years in order to receive proper care. This hurts his parents & is a burden. In a place filled with desperation & hopelessness it is easier for Oscar to stay at home & not have the surgery.

So my question is, in situations like these, where it's not just about losing your dream job or financial stability, can they fully trust in God? How easy it is for us to lose sight of what it really means to trust in God when it is a matter of life or death, sight or darkness. My prayer is that God would continue to work in this family, showing them His hope and love, drawing them close to you...especially in their despair. And may we help them get there.