Trust

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines trust as “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.” How many people in your life can you say you trust? Utterly and completely? Sometimes it can be difficult to trust even those people who are the closest to us. People are flawed. That means sometimes, they let us down.

In July 1998, I went with a friend and some people she knew to see Dave Matthews Band perform at the Blockbuster-Sony Music Entertainment Center in Camden, New Jersey. We got a hotel room in South Philly and “pre-gamed” at the hotel. Alcohol was plentiful and I distinctly remember some of the people going into the bathroom to smoke marijuana. I did not partake, but this is part of what I would refer to as my prodigal era.

We drank a lot. The thing I remember most from the concert was guys walking around with coolers on their back selling frozen margaritas. Let’s just say my memory of the concert was fuzzy at best.

Once the concert ended, droves of people herded like cattle towards the ferry. Somewhere along the way, I got separated from my friends. I got off the ferry and stood around waiting. Surely, this is where they would come to find me. I waited. And waited. I craned my neck looking around and trying to spot any familiar face. But there were none.

As the crowd started to dwindle, I panicked. I am not normally the type to panic; however, I was very intoxicated. By myself. In South Philly, half an hour from home in Delaware. I had no cell phone. I had almost no money left. I didn’t know what hotel we were staying at. I had no idea what to do.

I started walking. Stumbling would probably be a more accurate description. I could see the Benjamin Franklin Bridge nearby. I walked towards it, looking up at its lights sparking like stars. It was beautiful. I burst into tears and sat down on the corner.

At that moment, a sedan pulled up to the corner and stopped. I was drunk, but not stupid. I knew I was in a rather precarious situation.

A young man got out of the vehicle and walked over to me. He asked me what was wrong. My margarita-mouth spewed out everything that had happened. He told me that he and his two friends were also from Delaware. They weren’t going home just yet but said they couldn’t leave me like this. I can’t remember his name or anything about him. I only know that he said if somebody came across his sister in my situation, he would want them to help her. Even in the era before true crime, I knew this was a terrible idea. But I felt hopeless in that moment. I decided to trust them and agreed to go with them.

The three young men were perfect gentlemen. I went with them to the bar and they even paid my cover to enter. I know I only drank water the rest of the evening. Not too much later, we headed back to the First State. They dropped me off at home and I never saw them again…

As His ministry grew, Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs to spread His message. He required them to go on faith alone, taking nothing with them, not even a change of clothing. What a huge ask. Could you have done it? I’m not so sure I could have…Speaking at the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33, NLT). Because the disciples had faith enough to TRUST, all their needs were provided for.

That night in July, I wasn’t in a good place in my relationship with God. I knew deep in my heart to trust him, but I wasn’t actively putting that faith into practice. Yet my gut instinct (aka God) told me to trust those three young men. Perfect strangers, who could have easily taken advantage of a girl who had gotten herself into a bad situation. But there is still one more lesson of trust and faith to take from this story…

God provided. In my darkest moment, totally vulnerable, He provided a way for me. He ensured my safety. Those three young men from Delaware, who just happened to be in South Philly at the right place and time, were my angels here on earth. And due to my prodigal status, it would be years before I fully realized God’s faithfulness to me in that moment. He provides. Even when we aren’t seeking like we should.