Let’s say I brought a lion into your house for a visit.

Let’s say the lion is quite large.

It’s ok though.  The lion is trained and responds to my commands.  It can be very friendly.

Do you want to feel it’s fur? Would you like to see it do tricks?  It will even play with you.

Wouldn’t that be fun?  Of course, it would be frightening at first.  I mean, this is a really big lion.  It could eat me without even tasting me.

All this hinges on your trust in me.

If I have proven myself to be a liar, you wouldn’t let me in the door with a little lion.  If I have proven myself weak, unable to control a house cat, you can’t trust me with a huge lion.

I have heard people talk so many times about men being jerks, women being crazy, teens being irresponsible, disrespectful.  It has usually been someone who has been hurt and, out of their hurt, they say hurtful things.

Two questions:

Are they acting according to their nature?  Men and women and teens, all humans have various tendencies, some trained, some instinctive.  They will act according to those tendencies with a fair amount of regularity.  Sometimes they will sin, do bad things.  Sometimes, sometimes they are just behaving the way they were designed.

Which brings me back to the lion.  Lions will act like lions.  Humans will act like humans.

Do you trust the trainer?  Do you really believe that God is in control?

Don’t hate men.  Don’t be exasperated with women.  Don’t look down on teens.

Trust God.