This Bible verse gave me pause and much to ponder.
“Don’t put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?”
I certainly can think of a few dishonest characters I’ve met over the years which I could easily apply the above rule to. But what about the really good people who have crossed my path, for instance, reliable friends, trustworthy business associates, dear family members, or my wife? Is the above an admonition to not put any trust in them? No, I don’t think so. It’s an admonition to put all your trust in God, the source of all the good they reflect.
The key is to not blindly worship a mortal.
Humans have their shortcomings. Even the best of them have their down days and weak moments. But if in our relations with them, we stay clear that all the good they represent is coming from God, we will not be mesmerized by their personality and believe it is coming from them, and thus could be taken away by them.
The problem with believing our good comes from them is that we may blindly go along with anything and everything they think and do, even when it’s not right. And when they have a bad day, if we are not alert, their bad day becomes our bad day, and we become majorly disappointed that they are not living up to our expectations. We learn the hard way to put our trust in God, rather than in the human. The human mind is frail. It will never measure up to the divine Mind.
I trust my wife more than any other person in the world. But this trust is based on my understanding that she is a divine manifestation of Love in my life coming from God. I give God all the credit for the good she manifests, and I know I will never lose it.
When I read the above admonition, it does not say to me, “Don’t trust your wife.” It says, “Trust God, the source of all good to always be there for you.” And this understanding enables me to prosper with my wife on the good days and on the bad days.
Lovely …so beautiful. You have put it so well Evan, that our trust in our loved ones also stems from the source of all good – God. Yes one must not blindly worship a mortal and if one does so, he/she is making an idol out of that mortal, making a God out of that mortal. And if we do so, we are dishonouring God. Thanks so much for your daily inspirations.
Amen….and AMEN!
😀
I thought when I got married that my husband and I would be the source for one another, an idea of partnership. I realized as I started my path that we had made gods of each other; big mistake and not only unfair to one another, impossible.
Thank you for this wonderful guidance for us not to get caught up in personality but understand that the goodness and wholesome qualities of us all are really true reflections of our identity in God. Separating the wheat from the chaff to experience the truth of spiritual being.
What an interesting “take” on that Bible verse, Evan! I had always thought it meant not to see man as mortal, made of flesh and blood, but to see him as God’s spiritual idea, immortal, as we learn in Christian Science…….”Therefore man is not material, he is spiritual.” I really appreciate your new and different idea about not worshipping a Human Being as our source of Good, but always looking to God as our Source of All Good! Thank You!
P.S. Cute Picture!!
Evan, how true it is not to make any human into a God, and for that human to put a stop in seeing him as a God which the religious of today are not doing. And that’s where all our problems come from. Priests, Rabbis, Govt Leaders, Doctors are making themselves God’s many instead of admitting that all help comes from God only. A History channel program brought out the fact that through the eyes of the a Roman Empire, all religions were Cults and only a few became mainstream late on. Therefore the definition of a Cult is love of personality instead of Love for God.
Thanks Evan and thank you to Bevi. Bevi’s comment got me thinking. Is there really any difference between interpreting this Bible verse as meaning a) that man is not material, but instead man is God’s spiritual idea…and…b) that a human is not our source of good, but instead God is our source of good? In other words, if we understand that man is the reflection of God (i.e. God’s spiritual idea), then all good expressed through man has its source in God. Jesus made this very point (Mark 10:18):
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
I’ve realized more and more recently that “man or woman” is an idea. Our concept of ourselves or of others is simply the idea we hold of ourselves or of another. As we realize there is really no such thing as a “human” or a “mortal” we gain a clearer and clearer understanding of the true idea of God called man/woman…the reflection of God…completely spiritual, good, healthy, loved, and loving!
Thank you Evan. This message tells me that whether the one who disappoints is a friend, a business person, a respected elected or religious person, a spouse, a church member, or myself – we have only one recourse to redemption – to put on the mind of Christ with not just great love, but with perfect Love. I’ve held on to, even cherished, resentment concerning the dishonesty of a local business person who lied and manipulated people close to him to defeat a project I worked on many years ago. I didn’t know him before the project so I’ve regarded him since this first and only encounter as sinful and immoral and in my mind I’ve left him there and have thought how I would have been justified to expose him to the community – publicly crucify him like one of the biblical malefactors. One of my employees previously worked for him and although she was aware of his indiscretion, has also had good things to say about him. As loving a human being as I think I am, I refused to believe any goodness could reside in him. I have even thought he deserved the cancer condition she told me he has. I recognize this painful and hurtful state of mind is because I merely expected him to be a good and moral human being. I am blessed now to understand and to experience reconciling him and myself to God. That we are alike – children of God, pure and holy. That even in this situation where we do not know each other personally, he and I are redeemed, as you say, in “God, the source of all good [we both] reflect.” I feel now that if I encounter him, we will bless one another.
Wow! Great message, great responses.
I’ve prayed a lot about seeing all good as from God, not from others. It was not a concept I grasped from Sunday School, somehow. I spent a long time looking to others for good, and being disappointed. Now, working to know God is the source is keeping me going! No matter what the human circumstance seems to be, God has a wonderful plan for me – better than I can imagine myself. And, Her love is always with me!
For a while, after ending my second long-term relationship, I looked to my Mom as my source of good. That didn’t work, either, of course! I prayed a lot about right companionship, and about God as the source of all good. I now have a solid group of friends, as well as a deeper, mutually supportive relationship with my parents – and I’m not so afraid of losing them. God is great!
Thanks so much, Evan, for this inspiration – just what I needed – although on a slightly different note. I am a somewhat recent widow (less than a year) whose late husband was a very creative and successful gardener. I never felt I had a “green thumb” as the saying goes, so have been struggling to care for my flowers and household plants – not too successfully. In my praying to God for guidance, some failures have turned into successes – a work in progress. As it says in the Bible, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.” (not an exact quote). I am trusting in God to direct all my paths in this new adventure in life of having only God to rely on – even my gardening! But what a sure foundation God is! And, thanks to Christian Science also.
Thank you Evan, and all commenters…very helpful!!
I have lifted the following from a Group I am in: “Have you all listened to the chat from last week on healing offended feelings? I found it very helpful and wanted to continue the conversation in our group for this week.
The speaker, Michele Newport, CS, refers to an article by Paul Stark Seeley entitled “Only the Father knoweth the Son”, Dec. 2, 1944 Sentinel. It is also printed in the Anthology II. She shared this quote, “We must never consent to believe we can be a target for evil.”
The replay of the Sentinel Radio program for this week called “Love your enemies” piggybacks right onto the Chat, with many more inspiring ideas in handling this topic.”
In the so-called human realm, there seems to be much that requires the application of forgiveness, based on
the facts of divine Science. I am grateful to be learning to do this more consistently. God governs all, in reality.
Best to stick with reality!! The seeming hurts and struggles with “others” lessen when we keep this clearly in focus!
:<)))
So timely Evan – thank you! In this week of a national election in Canada that promises to bring “sweeping change”, I am far more aware of the one presence of God and the spiritualizing of all people and events as the Good unfolding. As you and the others have noted, I can see where I have consciously and unconsciously accepted a race mind of “cult” mentality in every aspect of my life from home, sports and entertainment, business and politics to global and even spiritual understanding. Rather than justify with “God is no respecter of persons”, I now choose “God is the only presence and power – and we are thought-full reflection – ideas in the image and likeness of all Good”.
Very true. I guess, as usual, this doubly applies to ourselves? 🙂