Never Trust a Chair

Greed causes fighting;
trusting the Lord leads to prosperity.
Those who trust their own insight are foolish,
but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.
Proverbs 28:25-26

My husband, Scott, celebrated his birthday. We had his traditional family birthday party and served his favorite meal - lasagne! After the meal, cake, and ice cream we all went into the family room for him to open presents. Since there were so many of us we had to take additional chairs into the family room. I grabbed a chair for myself and I thought Scott had grabbed a chair for himself as well. We all meandered into the family room, talking and laughing with each other on the way. I put my chair down, walked to the front of it, and began to sit. What happened next seemed like a slow motion segment from an action movie. Like I said, I set my chair down, walked to the front of it, and started to sit. As I began to sit, I TRUSTED that the chair that I had put there just mere seconds prior to my sitting down would be there. But as I started my descent into the chair, my mother-in-law's expression suddenly changed to alarm. What I didn't know was what was happening behind me. At the very moment I began to sit, Scott came up behind me, grabbed my chair and moved it. He did not see that I was about to sit down in it. He thought it was a 'spare' chair so he grabbed it for himself! I sat down expecting a chair to be there to support me. I expected my backside to only have to travel downward about a foot to reach it's destination. Sitting down in that particular chair was second nature to me. I've sat in in so many times I could do so blindfolded. This time, however, the support of that chair was GONE and at the very moment I expected it and needed it most. Quite to my surprise, instead of my backside making contact with the seat of a chair, it travelled much farther down and made a harsh crash with the floor! Immediately, Scott realized what had happened and rushed to my side to see about me. So did his mother. Though everyone one else had a good laugh at my expense and pain, I eventually also appreciated the hilarity of the situation. Boy, did I look foolish!



From my 'chair' experience, we can draw an analogy about trust. I made the mistake in trusting in something I could see, something I KNEW was physically there, something that was the result of my own efforts - I was the one who placed the chair where it was and I expected it to be there. I saw it there. I felt it there. I moved it there. However, when it came down to when it counted the most - the moment I sat down - the chair was gone! It failed me. I failed myself. My husband failed me!

Don’t put your trust in mere humans.

They are as frail as breath.

What good are they?

Isaiah 2:22

Aren't we like this in our spiritual lives as well? We may trust in other people until they disappoint. We may only trust in ourselves, until we fail. We may trust in our own efforts, until that isn't enough. We may trust only in what we can control, until we lose control. We may only trust in what we can see, hear, and feel, until we can no longer rely on our senses. We may trust our own abilities, until we lose them. We may trust in our wealth, our success, our career, until the economy goes south. This world has a way of pulling the chair right out from under us. Ultimately our trust in anything but God will end up with our backsides crashing to the ground!

You will keep in perfect peace

all who trust in you,

all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Trust in the Lord always,

for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.

Isaiah 26:3-4

There is only ONE who can be trusted without fail. We can trust God ALWAYS. He keeps His promises. We can be completely open and honest with God about our 'trust issues' and the areas in our lives where we are unwilling to trust Him. He knows what they are already, we just need to let go!



What do you need to trust God with today? No matter what it is or how bad it is, totally surrender it all to God today. Trust Him!

For the word of the Lord holds true,

and we can trust everything he does.

Psalm 33:4

In His Love, Cathy