I haven’t paid much attention to this. Maybe I should be blaming myself for taking people at face value. Yes. It’s naïve, I know. In fact, I have been disappointed too many times with people I considered trustworthy that there was a time I looked at everyone with suspicion. But a person’s true character, molded and enhanced by years of practice will not remain passive for long. My trusting nature resurfaced after a while. And I was kind of relieved because suspecting everyone of having evil intentions can take out a lot from a person.
But sometimes, we do have to learn new lessons. Times are changing, and with it, spiritual and moral values. That man is deprived of the ability to do good from birth is a given. But some do try to rise up from that depravity, and there are those who try to do good, even if that goodness apart from God is still evil. Others may disagree with this premise, but with my Reformed background, I am fully convinced of what Romans 3 is talking about. That no one is righteous, all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. All are contaminated with original sin courtesy of Adam and Eve.
So why was I so stupid to trust that an unbeliever can do good and maintain it without buckling under the pressure of his flawed nature? Or why am I worst than stupid to think that a fellow believer can be trusted to uphold his or her faith and to witness for his Savior by doing good all the time? Have I not talk and written enough about the struggle of the flesh and the spirit? Have I not learned yet that we believing Christians are still in the process of being sanctified, not yet perfect and will only be made perfect when Jesus comes again? Have I not experienced enough crap from my very own church, from the very same people I worship with on Sundays, pray with on Wednesdays, study the scriptures on Saturdays, and go out on outreach programs with, on the other remaining days of the week? Doesn’t this prove that even the saints slip up every now and then?
Yes, I should have learned my lesson. Sometimes, my instinct works overtime and it’s yelling at me to stop, look and listen. But I look like a woman outside, made of flesh, bones and blood. But inside, I’m 100% marshmallow, too trusting. Yes, I deserve to be betrayed by the very person I have trusted so well, counted on to stand by me through thick and thin. We have prayed for each other, encouraged one another when we were feeling weak spiritually. I have trusted that person with my brokenness that has never stopped hurting for so many years. This is my most trusted friend we are talking about, and the shock and pain of betrayal was harder to handle. And if what I suspect is true, this person has betrayed me for the second time by underhandedly getting past my guard and once again playing me for the fool. So what do I do? Consider everyone to be bad until proven good? Ask for a police clearance and church recommendation when someone wants to make friends with me?
I would if it would work. But we all know man will have a way to work through the barricades, so to speak. Look at the Pharisees. They made so many laws in order to guard the original law. They created them like fences all around what was God’s original commandments. But did it prevent them or the people from sinning? It wasn’t a foolproof plan. All they did was to create more and more laws.
I should just continue to look at people the way I mean to go on. I will not put myself in a position where I will be out of tune with what God has called me to be. I have tried that for a while and I only made my own life harder. Man was created in the image of God, and He has breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. From creation to redemption, God has shown how much value He has put on man. He paid the highest price to effect reconciliation between Him and us, and that is the blood of His own Son, Jesus Christ. I will not knowingly devalue what God considers precious to Him. Some people may cause me pain, and I may unwittingly hurt someone. But there is still good to be found in everyone and I will just keep looking. Yes, you may call me a fool, for theologically, man is incapable of doing good, and when he is saved, he regains the ability to do good works for the glory of God but is still apt to stumble from time to time. But from a human point of view, one who is as flawed as the next one, looking through the eyes of Christ-like love may just do the trick. This will enable us to see what is good in everyone, for after all, they have been bought already by the blood of Christ and have increased in value. As for the unbeliever, who is to say he will remain an unbeliever? Maybe that person’s time to be called and saved is not yet.
Maybe the lesson to be learned here is to be more cautious and not suspicious, - more patient and understanding. After all, I have been blessed with many good friends that far outweigh the few rotten ones. So yes, fool or no fool, I will continue to regard everyone as good until they prove themselves wicked.
27 -So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27)
7 -the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)
