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Psalms 35 “False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not. They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.” (v.11.12) In this Psalm, David was focused on the theme of betrayal. He was subjected to false accusation and verbal attacks by those whom he had considered as brothers. There not many situations which can cut as deeply into our souls as betrayal. Trust is a what we offer to those who earn it from us. It is a bridge between two people that when frequently traveled, becomes more reliable and stable. Forgiveness vs. Trust One of the big entanglements of sincere, moral people is their struggle with “forgiveness” when someone has broken trust with them. Much of this emotional tangle experienced by hurting people is due to misunderstanding what is meant by forgiveness. Forgiveness is about “not seeking to repay injury for injury”. When you forgive someone, you are saying that you will not seek to “repay injury” toward the one who committed the the unjust act against them. However trust is a totally different matter. You can forgive someone for their offense and yet still not trust them. When trust is broken by another, it is the responsibility of the one who broke the trust to earn the trust back. Forgiveness does not mean that trust is automatically restored. Trust is always earned. Imagine if we conducted a business in this way by paying ahead for job that was not completed as promised. We can forgive the worker for not doing his job right. But that does not mean we would be obligated to use this worker again. In fact, if a service fails in fulfilling what was promised, if trust is to be restored, then some form of compensation would have to be made. All successful business only thrive because of building trust with their clients. Forgiveness may take time. Betrayal stirs the emotional pot where our focus is upon our deep injury. In fact, the more we trusted the one who betrayed our trust, the more deeply the pain we experience. What is even more difficult is that the closer the relationship, the more frequently we will experience repeated injury. Every situation which was shared with a betraying friend becomes tainted with doubts and anger. Anger is often first turned inward where we accuse our lack of judgment for “allowing ourselves to be injured”. This is a normal reaction from our brain, where our alarm reaction and protective instincts kick in, trying to “undo” the hurt we experienced. Our brains search for clues and signs that we must have ignored along the way. We find ourselves seeking ways to identify clues to avoid this painful experience again. This begins to stir the sense of powerlessness over the offenses, which lead to a “victim mindset”. We blame ourselves for allowing our trust to be broken. In the next phase, we shift the target of our anger back to the offender. Blame gets fueled by the hurt and gets expressed in projected anger. If the emotional turmoil exceeds our parameter of reason, our anger gushes to rage. Rage is when the overwhelming anger spreads wide beyond the target of our anger. This is the stage where often dishes or furniture gets destroyed. As reason seeps back into the mind, we begin to set up mental barriers for protection. Items that represent a shared memory gets separated, collected and removed from sight. If any object associated with a memory of the offender is not creatively destroyed, it will be boxed and cornered away from view. Time is then required to reframe a life going forward. Such times are not the best moments to make rash decisions involving the offender. The goal at all times is to allow personal responsibility to be intact. We are each responsible for our actions. Trust is the foundation in friendship and in communities. Trust provides security, assure justice and fairness between people. Forgiveness does not dismiss responsibility. In fact, it is always aligned toward restoring responsibility. It is about holding ourselves and others accountable for for actions. Just because when someone broke our trust, it does not mean we must never trust them again. But if trust is important enough to the offender, they will obligate themselves to seek the means to earn that trust back. Whether or not the offender can meet this threshold for earning back our trust, we can still choose to not seek harm toward the offender. In time, a measure of trust may eventually be earned. Have a good day, my friends.

Psalm 71 “ Deliver me, O my God, .. For thou art my hope, (and).. my trust from my youth. By thee have I been holden up from the womb : thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels :.. I am as a wonder unto many ...I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more ... (for) thy righteousness and thy salvation .. for I know not the numbers thereof. I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD:..thou hast taught me from my yout h..also when I am old..forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power t o every one that is to come. Thy righteousness .. is very high, who hast done great things..who is like unto thee! Thou, which hast shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt (also)..quicken me again, and ..shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every sid e. My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: f or they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt ”. (v.4&c.) We are all participating in life’s race. Even though our pace and skill sets are vastly different, we are each assigned our own lane that begins from a starting point and eventually concludes at a ribboned finish. When we consider aspects shared with us here, the analogy of our “life’s race” is very appropriate. Let’s consider the starting point of the race as David shares how God was with him from birth (the womb), as God “ took me out of my mother's bowels”. His training started by trusting God’s coaching, ( thou hast taught me from my youth). David then recognizes God’s care was always present in his life even when he was not aware of it behind the scenes, (thy salvation .. for I know not the numbers thereof). He shares how his friends and foes took notice of his achievements and endurance despite the many challenges he had faced, (shewed me great and sore troubles, shalt (also)..quicken me again). David attributed his acquired abilities and skills from the personal training of God himself, (shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side). David knew that the success of his endurance was not about his own strength, but by God’s love and mercy. As he reflects on this thought, his confidence to complete the race before him was renewed. The words, “ My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long” meant he literally mouthed the words as he spoke to himself. He found himself filled with gratitude as he considered how God had been with him every step of the way. When David envisions the finish line ( when I am old ), he is eager to encourage new runners on the field. He is compelled to pass the baton of faith to his teammates that join him in the race ( until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation..). As this passage concludes, David no longer reflects on his initial request, “ Deliver me, O my God ”. This is because he now has full assurance that his request had already been answered in full, ( for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt). The God that cared for us from our youth is with us even now. He provided each of us our own lane in this contest of life. We are not left alone to run the race on our own strength. God desires to train us in becoming a champion every day, which may require particular trials that are different from other runners. Don’t be distracted by what other athletes do in their lanes. Our coach will always be there to partner with us and train us to become the athlete he needs. There is joy in the race. Run in full assurance toward the finish. Remember to pass the baton to those that follow. I am happy we are all on the same team, my friends. Have a wonderful day.

There are times in life when we feel so overwhelmed by constant trials. In such times, the demands we face can bring us to the brink of exhaustion. If you find yourself in such a place, this post is for you. Psalm 28 "The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed. Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever." This passage from David carries a theme of justice and mercy. He begins the Psalm with a plea for help and then moves to the contrast between those who are sincere and those who are insincere in their upright efforts. The passage then concludes with acknowledging how God not only favors the upright but actually exceeds in effort with assisting those who honor Him. The words "feed them also, and lift them" are actually in reference to the duties of a compassionate shepherd. In those early days for David, as a shepherd he was provided the very experience with which he relates to us here. It depicts the kindness of a shepherd who attends to the needs of the sheep when they lack their own strength to thrive on their own. When the sheep is incapable lacks the necessary strength, then God "lifts them up" as the shepherd carries the feeble sheep close to his chest in his arms. This is what is meant from the Hebrew,best translated as "to bear". The thought it conveys for us is that when we feel overwhelmed and believe we do not have the strength to continue, our loving God is ready to draw us close while he provides the required means to sustain us. In times that we lack the needed strength or understanding, God can bear us up in his arms until we are restored. This is the mercy of God toward those who sincerely honor Him. If you are lacking strength today, look for the means God has already provided for your needs. If you are incapable of pushing forward, trust that God is willing to carry you during this time for your restoration. Have a good day, my friends.

After a loss the world we once knew can become strangely unfamiliar. Life is shifted and grief accompanies every step in reorganizing the dreaded path forward. No matter how lost we may feel there is a way to reclaim your bearings with clarity. This may help. Often, we tend to forget that our life’s mission clipboard was purposed and prescribed uniquely for each of us. Just because others who have shared our journey had their task list checked off does not mean our tasks are also complete. The One to whom we trust and honor has ascribed the difficult, but essential trial of a separation is for a specific purpose on our clipboard. Such harder tasks were not randomly assigned but was included particularly tailored for our specific mission. The God that knows us intimately -even more than we know ourselves, does not include such trials without first considering our joy and thanksgiving for the blessings generously granted toward us according to his glory. It is only when our race is done that we will then know fully how His wisdom considered both our diligent service and our heart's desire in full. But until our race is finished, there is a field ready to harvest. That field was not burdened to us through isolated cruelty. God never expected us to work the field alone. Anywhere that we are assigned to serve has unearthed blessings while we harvest the field along with others shouldering a common mission. The work before us is not about carrying on effort with less. It is about being diligent in our focus and acquiring far more than we ever expected. It is about completing new missions in unfamiliar territories and discovering awaiting, ready resources of potential we are yet unaware. It is about the fulfillment of our joy in every way as we become perfected to God’s glory and depending on the strength only He provides for us. There is far greater peace and far more appreciation before us in the unknown fields to harvest. Though grieving comes,there are ripe fruits of perfect joy and peace available in the field. Trust the one who knows our suffering today best and yet sees our great gratitude we will claim tomorrow. Our mission is not in vain. You are not alone. Blessings await.