Seeds of Doubt: Trusting Other People

As part of the Seeds of Doubt series, I am spending some time on my blog trying to answer some of the survey responses that came in for the Seeds of Doubt series.

When asked what causes you the most doubt, one person responded, "When I have to rely on other people to achieve a good outcome."  We live in community whether we like it or not.  We constantly have to rely on other people.  We might have to rely on people for big things and big projects at work or at school or we might have to rely on people we do not even know for seemingly smaller things - such as a minimum wage teenager cooking our burger at a fast food joint.  Reliance on others is a part of life.  If we didn't in some way rely on others without doubt we would drive ourselves crazy.  In other words, if we took our doubt of others to it's fullest extreme we would not be able to function in life even at the most basic level.  Reliance on self is an illusion.

The problem is that people fail all the time.  Sometimes they fail without intending to and sometimes they have malicious intent.  Sometimes people fail because they make a mistake and other times people fail us because they want to hurt us.  What should our response be?  Should we doubt everyone who wants to help or everyone who we have to work and live with because people fail?  Should our response be anger?  Should we try to do everything on our own?

In the church, people fail all of the time.  I fail the congregation of Stone's Throw at least a few times a week and those are only the things I am aware of!  If you are human you have failed those who depend on you.  What do we do when we fail or we have been brought down by others?

Doubt is an opportunity for us to look to Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of faith.  When we doubt we either swim to the deeper waters of faith or we crash and burn in the valleys of unbelief.  When we doubt others we must look to Jesus Christ who cannot be doubted in his intention or accomplishment.  Jesus forgave those who failed him.  Jesus did not base his mission success on whether or not his disciples failed him.  In fact, when his disciples failed him whether on purpose (Judas Iscariot) or out of cowardice (Peter) or just plain stupidity, God used it for His own purposes and glory.

When other fail you, do not allow it cause fear or anxiety in your heart.  When you are paired up with people from work on a project, when your spouse falls short, when your kids embarrass you, or when your classmates take all the credit, do not doubt that God is using this experience and relationship in your life to His glory and His purpose.  Allow your doubt to lead you to Jesus who will perfect your faith.