Do we TRUST enough? My 2007 Resolution

I had an interesting conversation with a couple other women yesterday which gave me food for thought as I anticipated starting out a new year. We were discussing the picture of the early church we see in the book of Acts and how the believers met together daily ... they shared all things in common; no one had a need. We commented how the Believers sold all they had and gave it to the church to be distributed to those who needed it. Those in the church and those around it stood in awe and offered praise as they saw how God provided for everyone and how unity was possible as people spent each day worshipping together.

One question we pondered yesterday was, "how do we view this scenario and what can we learn from this picture in light of our lifestyles today?" Of course I can't help thinking how our culture affects our ability to live like the Believers apparently did in the book of Acts.

First of all, our lives tend to center around ourselves. Even within our very generous and giving circles of friends, we agreed that when we give, we give, first taking into consideration how much we can give and still survive/live comfortably. We usually give out of our excess, not ALL that we have. And second, spending each day together with our church family would mean we would need to sacrifice time we spend doing other things we enjoy. Time is always an issue for families ... how much do we spend doing things we enjoy or think is good for our children or ourselves in recreation/fun/work/ministry/etc. Time ultimately is part of the sacrafice of worship we offer to God.

The words trust and commitment stood out to me in Book of Acts scenario. To live in any form of unified community (family, church Body, etc.) requires commitment. Commitment means we sacrifice not only our time and resources to meet each other's needs, but we also sacrifice our pride -- give it up -- to be honest enough to share our needs so others can reach out to us too! (Sometimes the latter takes a lot more work.) And we need a tremendous amount of TRUST. I wonder if one reason we only share out of our excess and tend to want to hide our needs is because, when it comes right down to it, we really don't trust God and one another enough. We can't give EVERYTHING to others because we need to take care of ourselves. We are trained in our culture to protect ourselves in case something happens. We need to have savings, insurance, back-ups, investments, etc. all for the sake of "taking care of ourselves" when all our regular life supports fail us. I wonder if God is only the back-up to the back-ups ... when ALL our other back-ups fail us. And do we really trust that God will use others to help us or shame us? We fear that showing needs will make us look bad or weak. Trust is not our daily attitude and mode of operation. We say we know we need to trust in God when we have difficulties, but the reality is that we say that after we have already invested lots of trust in doctors, lawyers, our savings accounts and insurance companies or family members who usually bail us out. I think we actually operate within a certain and constant level of fear or distrust, for it is what we say helps us make wise decisions about how to live. The Book of Acts was certainly a counter-cultural way to live by American standards!

I am not satisfied with the idea that I live life lacking trust in my God who says He will provide all my needs. I am not satisfied knowing that I clutter my life with so many things that distract me from committing myself to the Body of Christ. So for 2007 I want to consider what I can get rid of in my life. . .those excessive things which consume my time, money and energy. Living life like in the book of Acts means living simply and in a constant attitude of trust, knowing that God will provide for all my needs as I strive to meet the needs of those around me. I also pray that I find in my community the freedom to be honest about my own needs too, for sharing with one another is how unity and trust are nurtured and how love is experienced.