Finding Confidence Through God's Past Faithfulness

Gavin, my 7 year old son, approached me this morning with his latest wiggly tooth. With nervous anticipation, he asked me to test it to see if it was ready. His hesitation showed strongly as I wiggled back and forth a bit, and when I grasped the tooth, for a better feel, he backed away immediately. It was obvious that, regardless of whether the tooth was ready, Gavin was not.

With the conversation tools that I always use with him, I knelt down in front of him, placed my hands on his shoulders, gently looked in his eyes and said:
“I’m your mommy. You can trust me; I love you and only want to help you. I won’t pull the tooth until you are ready. I promise that I’ll only wiggle a bit just to see if it’s ready. Trust me that I won’t pull it.”

He stood a bit more confidently before me. His nervous eyes shifted a bit, and he tilted his head up, and more up, as I wiggled the tooth but he didn’t step away.

I kept my promise and gave him a hug. I told him that it was pretty much ready but that we could give it a couple more days if he wanted.

That’s when his mental struggle began. He would come to me, but would then change his mind; back and forth, all morning. He wanted the result, and he knew that I could help, but he was having a hard time just letting me do what he knew I was capable of doing.

Finally he came in, looking a bit more resolved.
“Mom, I can’t take it anymore. I just need you to help me.”
I had heard this several times already that morning, but he had yet to actually let me do what needed to be done.

I sat in the dining room chair and he stood before me.
He said “Ok, wait. I just need to build up my bravery.”
What happened next was amazing.
He started listing my past faithfulness to him.
“You pulled my tooth before.”
“It didn’t hurt.”
“It didn’t bleed very much.”
“We did it at the couch last time.”
“You love me and I trust you.”

He looked at me and, with set determination, stepped forward and opened his mouth.
I laid my finger on the front of the tooth and gave it a swift push. The tooth was out.

It was through sharing this story with a friend that I saw our patterns of struggle with God regarding Faith.
We come to Him, knowing that He is more than capable, and yet we hesitate at, or even struggle against, His will.
He so often says to us:
“I’m your Father. You can trust Me; I love you and only want to help you. Trust in Me.”

At times we falter; coming before Him again and again but never allowing Him to do what needs to be done.

We know His ways, we know His Truth, we know “the answers”…and yet we constantly choose against them. We struggle against His Truth.

We say things like, “Yeah, I know that I should do it this way, but I just have control issues.”
or

“I know that God tells us to do it this way, but that just sounds too easy (or too hard).”

It is in these moments that we know that we do not trust Him.
We must refocus.

Gavin did something that it took me all of my life to learn; to look back on past Faithfulness.

God has shown Himself, in many ways. His Truth, promises and faithfulness can be found in our lives, in the lives of others and in His Word. Upon seeking them, upon recognizing them, what you will find is a prayer that sounds very similar to Gavin’s declaration.
“You have been there before. You love me and I trust You.”

It is then that you can stride forward, confidently, and it is when we do this that our lives become filled with the richness of His Truth and we gain wisdom.