A Liberating Kind of Trust

A Liberating Kind of Trust
Acts 12:6-12
Tamika Brown

In the film Black Panther, Kilmonger says “Bury me in the ocean, with my ancestors that jumped from the ships, because they knew death was better than bondage.” In the film Harriet, Minty stands firm and says “I’ma be free or die.” These familiar refrains were born of our ancestor’s desires to not be held captive. Many of them, were determined to walk into the water rather than make the transatlantic journey and those at Igbo/Ebo/Ibo landing (right here in Georgia) who survived the journey yet refused to be enslaved.

Liberate. To set free. To be free, no longer captive or bound. Liberation is a powerful notion, and an even more powerful experience! But in order to truly “get free” there is work to be done.

The scriptural reference for today reflects both a literal and a figurative liberation. Literally we see Peter being set free by an Angel of God after being imprisoned by Herod. Figuratively, Peter inherently and undoubtedly knew that God had liberated him.

This week we have spent time delving into the topic of trust, what it means, how it looks and ways it can be experienced. In our daily lives though, how much time do we spend thinking about our ability/inability to trust? How often do we think about how trustworthy we are? Being able to trust freely is not something to be taken lightly, nor gained easily.

To know trust means we must be willing to believe in something greater than ourselves.
To be trustworthy means we must be truth tellers.

To know trust means we must be willing to process and let go of past hurts and traumas.
To be trustworthy means we must be willing to apologize and be accountable.

To know trust means we must be open and honest – about our feelings and our circumstances.
To be trustworthy means we must be willing to name and call out wrongdoing.

On this Lenten Journey, and each day, meditate on this idea of trust and trustworthiness. Do those around you know inherently and undoubtedly that they can freely trust in you? Are you a reflection of God’s trust?

Let’s do the liberation work for our hearts, our minds and our spirits.
Let us each become truth tellers.
Let us each become trustworthy.
Let’s get free.

Prayer: God, my God. Help us, your people, become reflections of you. Amen.