It's another rainy day here in Augusta. It reminds me of years in the Pacific Northwest, except that the rain is much harder. It's dark and gloomy and rainy and cold.
So, let's sit and think a minute about trust. We talked about trusting a person's character (what they say) and their ability (what they can do). I might trust someone entirely as to their character (their willingness to do what they say) but not trust their ability (whether they can actually get it done). When a person fails to keep a promise, there is a big difference between the person who "cannot" and the person who "will not." A person who tries to keep their trust, but fails, is far better than a person who does not try at all.
Unfortunately, this also leads to another problem -- what about the person who kind of tries, who "makes an effort," but always an effort that is not enough. How do you know whether they were being honest? We all care about the things under our trust. Every messy home, every messy car, every failed marriage, was "cared about." Someone "wanted it to work," but failed to do what was necessary to make it work. Somehow, all that caring resulted in failure.
Why? Because it was just caring. Caring is not enough. As James tells us, wishing someone had food is meaningless unless you give them food. Faith without works is dead and so is "caring about" without "caring for."
Part of the test for all of us is whether we are willing to back our "caring about" with "caring for." Are we willing to do what needs to be done to get the job accomplished, or do we just sit and bemoan the state of our home or our family.
The excellent wife combined the character and the ability to accomplish her tasks in Proverbs 31. Character always shows itself in what we try to do. If you need to be a better cook, then be a better cook. If you need to be a better wife, then be a better wife. Work on being better at your tasks, at accomplishing more things. Don't let your character be that of someone who wishes things were better, but of someone who makes things better.
So, let's sit and think a minute about trust. We talked about trusting a person's character (what they say) and their ability (what they can do). I might trust someone entirely as to their character (their willingness to do what they say) but not trust their ability (whether they can actually get it done). When a person fails to keep a promise, there is a big difference between the person who "cannot" and the person who "will not." A person who tries to keep their trust, but fails, is far better than a person who does not try at all.
Unfortunately, this also leads to another problem -- what about the person who kind of tries, who "makes an effort," but always an effort that is not enough. How do you know whether they were being honest? We all care about the things under our trust. Every messy home, every messy car, every failed marriage, was "cared about." Someone "wanted it to work," but failed to do what was necessary to make it work. Somehow, all that caring resulted in failure.
Why? Because it was just caring. Caring is not enough. As James tells us, wishing someone had food is meaningless unless you give them food. Faith without works is dead and so is "caring about" without "caring for."
Part of the test for all of us is whether we are willing to back our "caring about" with "caring for." Are we willing to do what needs to be done to get the job accomplished, or do we just sit and bemoan the state of our home or our family.
The excellent wife combined the character and the ability to accomplish her tasks in Proverbs 31. Character always shows itself in what we try to do. If you need to be a better cook, then be a better cook. If you need to be a better wife, then be a better wife. Work on being better at your tasks, at accomplishing more things. Don't let your character be that of someone who wishes things were better, but of someone who makes things better.
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