Lag Time

Last Saturday morning I put about thirty 4 inch lag bolts into the 2x10's that will eventually be how our new porch is attached to the house. Like everything else about this project, it was a lot harder and went a lot slower than I anticipated. I thought it was interesting that one of the boxes of lag bolts that I used was supposed to have twenty-five 4 inch lag bolts in it, but it ended up only having nineteen. Then, a pre-packaged bag of one and a half inch washers that I bought that morning, had only sixteen washers when it was suppose to also have twenty-five. I wasn't particularly upset about it since I had plenty to finish the job, and I also knew I could run up to Lowe's and fix the problem real easy. It did, however, make me think about how much trust is a part of our every day life. We trust other drivers to obey the law. We trust the waitress and the cook at the restaurant we like to bring us well prepared and safely cooked food. We trust that packages and containers really have in them what they say they do on the outside. The list is endless, and that's not even talking about the trust we place in people we know and love.
I guess the thing that gave me pause, was how much we are affected by distrust or a violation of trust. It's what makes some people so negative and pessimistic, I'm sure. It is the reason why some people seem to be so sour about life and what they expect. We've all been burned, but we haven't all been changed into grumpy old half-empty-glass people, who fully expect to get burned again. It's better to trust and be disappointed than to distrust and be miserable all your life. That is why trusting in God is so important. We know we can depend on Him, and that will see us through anything that may dampen our spirit. Or - I could just make another trip to Lowe's.