Erik Erikson, Developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, theorized that the foundational stage of hope is basic trust versus basic mistrust. When a person looks at the world through eyes of trust versus mistrust, the world appears different and causes that person to interact in and with the world accordingly. When a person looks at the world with trust, he feels hopeful; but if the person looks at it with mistrust, he feels hopeless.
Presently, many people view the world with mistrust. Everytime you open the news channel, you see and hear the tragedies happening all around us. Since 2008, the world economy has experienced the worst crisis ever to hit the markets, and it is happening everywhere. You hear of revolutions in the Middle East, suicide bombings, war in Afghanistan and Iraq, bombing and massacre in Oslo, Norway and in the US and many other horrendous crimes.
The leaders we elected, not just in the US but almost in every other country, are not working for the people but for themselves. The citizens have become hostage to the greed of government officials and big bankers and they have collaborated to tax the people out of their hard earned money and home by printing more fiat money out of nothing while they preach a cure by spending more of the citizen's money to 'get out' of the problems they have created and we have help them create.
If we look to our leaders and put our trust in them, we will feel hopeless, because we know they are but men; subject to the vagaries and temptations of their position. If we expect them to have the wisdom to solve our problems, we would only be fooling ourselves. They all have their limits.
Does it really matter who is the President? Have they really delivered their citizens from real bondage? Or have they instead contributed to their downfall (whether wittingly or unwittingly)?
Erik Erikson was right that hope is seen through the eyes of basic trust or basic mistrust. The question is, what is the basis of trust or mistrust? We usually trust because of past experience/s with the object of trust that resulted to our benefit. Out of that initial encounter, a relationship blossomed that is either mutually beneficial or beneficial to one of the parties. As humans, we are extremely personal and we desire interaction with those we relate with.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.”
-Heb 11:1
Faith is too much a religious word for most people, so let me, instead, use the word 'trust'. A person does not hope for something that he has not seen or experienced. The object of hope has to have substance; or as the Scriptures says, “evidence of things not seen.” Is there any one leader among those serving the public worthy of our trust? Most of them, if not all, has disappointed us. We cannot take their word to the bank. To be fair, there is no one presently leading that can possibly not disappoint us. Why? Because they are all mere mortals and imperfect beings. Besides, we ourselves tend to look at them with biased eyes and impossible expectations.
There is only One who can qualify man's expectations – YESHUA the Messiah. He rises out of human history as one who never sinned, who never had any taint of cruelty or injustice, or pride, or even an iota of inordinate desire. YESHUA literally changed the course of history and in fact, we base time with respect to His entrance to our world. Those who wanted to arrest Him even said, “We have never heard any man speak like Him!”(John 7:46) Those who got to know Him never came back the same – the sick were healed, the demonized got delivered, the dead were raised, the lame walked, the blind saw, the dumb spoke and the deaf heared. But the most important gift YESHUA gave to people was the complete deliverance from the corruption of sin. And this is the very reason why YESHUA is the only person we can fully trust. His gift of salvation is total – spirit, soul and body. And you can take that to the bank!
The Son (YESHUA) is the radiance of the Father's glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word (Heb 1:3). All the fulness of GOD's deity dwells in Him. I got to know Him in August, 1972, and my life has never been the same. He turned my world right-side up. I have been walking with Him everyday; and I will walk with Him til eternity.
I have come to understand that everything that is happening around us are passing. Many leaders have come and gone and have barely left a lasting mark, except those whom GOD sent. Every civilization that had risen have fallen because as they ascended, every form of perversion also ascended with them. How the mighty have fallen! The greatest and brilliant of men have come and gone; but for all their 'genius', they have left the world lacking and empty. When you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind!
“So says YHWH, the King of Israel, and His redeemer YHWH of Hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and besides Me there is no God.(iSAIAH 44:6) I am YHWH your God who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way that you should go.”(Isaiah 48:17)
The world has seen all types and system of government but not one system has offered a viable solution to man's aspirations. We seek perfection but there is no perfection among mortals. Only YESHUA can give us the perfect solution and mankind will experience that during the Millenium. As of now, we can only work with GOD to fulfill His word upon the earth. Yes, for our destiny has already been written. Each of us who are children of light have a destiny in YESHUA and it is all written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
The question is, is your name entered in the Book of Life? Only YESHUA's hand can write your name upon your surrender and pledge of allegiance. And you can take that to the bank...in heaven!
ἀγγελος
Comments
I love the theory of Erick Erickson, I worte about it in college. It relates to me a lot.
What you wrote seems to me is a fact of life. The example you gave about government electives is better than our churches. How about us, the so called christians, are we trustworthy, and loving? are we a man of our words, Let me tell you, I turst more the government officials than my brothers in Christ. I am not putting myself as the best of them all, but trust in a fellow human being lost because we christian make it happen. Since all of us are raised by pastors who continue to neglect our needs we became an adult of mistrust.