One of the object lessons the teacher was using was a trust fall. She had already proven herself trustworthy by promising the boys candy and then following through, so the trust fall was naturally what came next. When she promised the boys she would not drop them, the questions began: "Are your fingers crossed behind your back? Are your legs crossed? Are your toes crossed? Are your eyes crossed? Do you pinky promise? You aren't lying? Are you sure?"
And I sat and wondered how, by the age of 11, kids expect people to lie to them before they expect them to tell them the truth. They expected to be tricked, lied to, and dropped on their butts.
And why, at the age of 24, I don't expect much different. Sure, the questions don't look the same, but they have the same meaning: "Do you really mean that? Are you really going to do what you said you were going to do? Can I really trust you to come through for me no matter what?"
And I can't help but be encouraged in what God has been teaching me about the importance of showing them how BIG and POWERFUL and MIGHTY and FAITHFUL and TRUSTWORTHY and how GREAT our God is. Andy Stanley defines vision like this: "Vision is a clear mental picture of what could be, fueled by the conviction that it should be." I believe they need to see a BIG God- to see how BIG He is, but to also see Him up close and personal- to know that this BIG God cares about and loves them each personally, and He is worthy of their trust.
"Our humanness does not prevent God from using us; it is our humanness that actually becomes the platform from which He demonstrates His power, goodness, and love to His people. It is an amazing thought when you realize that both the church and the home are comprised of broken, imperfect people through whom God has chosen to tell His story."
-Reggie Joiner, Think Orange
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