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North English |
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“Trust Me!”
Pastor Kirk Statler – North English Christian Church
January 2008
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5
As a youth pastor, I had a teenage friend who was famous for his statement, “Trust me!” The irony of his statement was that he was in all likelihood, one of the least trustworthy people I have ever known! Every time he made his famous statement, it was a reminder to all who heard it of just how much he couldn’t be trusted.
There are a lot of messages preached about our being ready and willing to trust God, but I seldom if ever hear anyone talk about trusting one another. While entrusting ourselves into the hands of the Creator of the universe and Redeemer of our souls (the all-powerful, all-knowing, ever present, Almighty God), can seem a bit intimidating, I have found that for a vast majority of people, it is easier to trust God than to trust others. We have become a generation that trusts almost no one! Not only should it NOT be that way; it can’t REMAIN that way, lest we eventually tear apart everything we hold dear.
You see, there’s a pretty simple equation involving trust that I picked up from noted author, Patrick Lencioni. It goes like this:
No Trust = No Real Communication = No Genuine Consensus=
No True Ownership = Limited Accountability = Negative Results
You see, when we don’t make it a priority to work on our trusting of one another (and honestly, it takes some guts…some risks on our part), we foster a world, an environment that is unsafe. And if people don’t feel safe around us, they’re never going to say what they really think (we just might tear them apart?). And as real ideas and feelings go unshared, when it comes time to make a decision or choice, you have only a false consensus at best (since several never contributed to the process). Without consensus, you will never have ownership (again, since not everyone participated in the process – their ideas aren’t a part of the “product” or decision). Accountability is only imagined, because why would anyone want to hold someone accountable for something not jointly believed in? The results of such a process can only be negative, and reflect poorly on our organization (church), friendships and ability to follow God’s lead.
The flip-side is then easy to see – the benefits of choosing to work on trust:
Growing Trust = Real Communication = Genuine Consensus=
True Ownership = Full Accountability = Positive Results
May we, as people who are seeking to KNOW and FOLLOW God, recognize the benefits of doing things His way, and begin to rebuild not only trust in Him, but just as importantly, in others, so that we truly accomplish Kingdom work as we draw people in from every race, creed, color, background, viewpoint and status.
Enjoy Pastor Statler's December Message here
Enjoy Pastor Statler's October Message here