In God We Trust?

The other day, while driving down the highway, the car in front of me had a bumper sticker that said, "In God We Trust." I remember thinking to myself, "Really? Do we really trust in God?"

This motto, the "official motto" of the United States as of 1956, is one of those things that is easy to say or put on a bumper sticker, but much harder to do.

What exactly does it mean to put our trust in God? Does having it on our currency and coins really help us to do that?

For me, trusting in God is a choice and it's something that I have to work hard at doing. Every day, there are times when trusting in God can be difficult. Things happen in our lives that may lead us to wonder, "Is God really there? Can I really trust in Him?"

Dictionary.com defines trust: "reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing."

Here's where I think we sometimes run into trouble, especially those of us in a Western cultural mindset. Reliance — to rely on someone other than ourselves seems to go against the very messages that our culture puts out there.

It's all about #1. We have to take care of ourselves first. Don't trust anyone but yourself.

The messages we get from the culture seem to say, "trust in yourself." Yet the message some in our culture seem to want us to believe is "trust in God."

So, as we approach this weekend of July 4, a time when we think about our country and how we gained our independence, I challenge all of us to think about what it means to be dependent on, or to rely on, God alone.

When you look at the money in your wallet or purse and you see the phrase, "In God We Trust," think about what that means in your life.

Do you really trust God? If not, what would it take for you to do this?

Happy 4th of July, everyone! May you be safe and blessed!