Some trust in chariots

One of my favorite verses in the Psalms is found in the 20th Psalm.

Verse 7 says this - Some trust in chariots and some in horses, 

but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

I love a good list, and the first half of that verse is a short list of things people believe in - or things people believed in at the time the psalm was written. As I consider the psalmist's list, I am prompted to create a list of some of the things we trust in, some of the things I trust in.

Some trust in cash and some in credit cards

some trust in the stock market and some in savings bonds

some trust in Bank of America and some in Wells Fargo

some trust in Mercedes and some in Audi
some trust in brand names and some in second hand treasures
some trust in neither, some trust in DIY - do it yourself

some trust in the government and some in anarchy

some trust in Democratic ideals and some in Republican

some trust in Fox News and some in CNN

some trust in "the good old days"

some trust in the good times that are yet to come

Some trust in popularity and telling every story in a public and exaggerated way

some trust in keeping their stories and their lives to themselves

some trust in others to make decisions on their behalf

some trust in themselves and no one else

Some trust in homeschooling and some in military schools

some trust in homework and some trust in play time

some trust in exclusive "gifted and talented" programs and some in everyone's giftedness

some trust in community college and some in Ivy League institutions

some trust in GPAs and some in GPSs

some trust in degrees and some in pedigrees

some trust that men and women have equal standing in the world and in the church

some trust that women ought to be silent in church
(except for singing in the choir, teaching children, and talking to each other)

some trust that children should be seen but not heard

some trust that children are our future

some trust that children are people who deserve dignity, love, and protection

some trust in marriage and some in remaining unmarried

some trust in parenting and some in freedom from children

some trust in spanking and some in non-violent parenting 

some trust in honesty and some in deceit

some trust in sarcasm and insults

some trust in flattery

some trust in Western medicine and some in Eastern, non-traditional practices

some trust in organic food production and some in conventional practices

some trust in yoga and some in lifting weights

some trust in their physical health, beauty, and thinness

some trust in their emotional strength and stability

some trust in green tea and some in coffee

some trust in cigarettes and some in alcohol

some trust in the right to bear arms and stand one's ground

some trust in bombing "the bad guys" out of existence

some trust in capital punishment

some trust in the justice system to carry out justice

some trust in vengeance and vigilante justice
some trust in turning the other cheek

some trust in the military might of this nation

some trust in the work of diplomacy

Some trust in gratitude for a glass half full
some trust in punishment for whomever drank from their glass first
some trust in prayer and some in the strength of their own bootstraps

some trust in finding answers to every question and some in living into the questions
some trust that God answers prayer
some trust that prayer is wasted emotional energy

I still trust in some of those things. 

I no longer trust in some of those things. 

I never trusted in some of those things.

But for as long as I can remember, I have trusted in the name of the Lord our God.

I have trusted that I am loved, seen, and heard by God.

I have trusted that all would be well.

I have trusted that the name of the Lord would bring me peace, would bring all people people, profound, inexplicable peace even though world is sometimes dangerous and untrustworthy.

I have experienced the name of the Lord my God bringing me peace, calming my anxious heart, and settling my fears. Personally. Many, many, many times.

I say "many, many, many times" because many, many, many times, I forget. I doubt. I wonder. I wander. I worry. Then I remember God's faithfulness again. And the goodness of people I love again. And the presence and support of my sister-friends and brother-friends again.

This trust cycle is an exhausting one sometimes. I am grateful that as often as I forget, trust regrows, that its roots go deeper in times of emotional and spiritual and physical drought. I am grateful for the stacks and shelves of my filled journals which house the stories of my misplaced trust and my re-placed trust. I am thankful for the scars - mental, relational and physical - from the many battles I have fought in my 49 years of life and for the reminder those accounts provide of how far I have traveled on this my life's journey. 

Some trust in chariots

some trust in horses

some trust in guns

some trust in bombs

some trust in fear

some trust in intimidation

some trust in rules and regulations

some trust in making it up as you go along

We all trust in something. 

We all trust in someone.

I choose to continue to trust in the love, the grace, and the name of the Lord my God.

Who and what do you trust?