iTrustYOU

There I stood, not paralyzed in fear, but hesitant to do as I was told. The directive wasn't difficult, but it was scary. Sweat formed on my brow, my knees felt a little weak and the thought of what could happen scared me.

But then I did something that has unlimited power in our lives if we will just do it . . . I LET GO! I fell back, hoping, believing and praying the person, my partner in this summer camp exercise, would catch me. It was an exercise in TRUST.

See the person catching is entrusted with a great responsibility, while the person falling backward is trusting they will be caught. I've seen this exercise done on a 'ropes course,' with a harness, and people still being too terrified to relinquish control and free fall. In my humble opinion, the hardest thing for a human to do is to let go!

What would have happened if they didn't catch you when doing the trust exercise? Probably something that involves a whole lot of blood, a trip to the ER and some stiches. But with God, we are assured He WILL ALWAYS catch us!! And what better hands to catch us than ones that created us, made the universe and then sent His son to die for us, so we could be in right relationship with Him again?

Does this mean it won't hurt sometimes? Absolutely not, but sometimes the way He catches us still is painful because He is allowing some pain, so we can learn to depend on Him more, can grow and become stronger! It's ALL about trust.

What I've Learned about Trust

Trust is simply taking someone's hand . . . not asking where they are taking you, how long you will be there or what you are going to do . . . it's simply knowing that person loves you, has your best interests at heart and will do nothing to harm you. So too is it with Jesus.

God assures us ALL things work together for our good (Romans 8:28) and He has plans to prosper us and to give us a future (Jer. 29:11), so with that being said . . . IF we truly believe that why do we so easily freak out and become a ship so easily tossed about by the waves? (Ephesians 4:14).

I've learned God's ways are not always my ways and His thoughts are not always my thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9) and that we see through a glass darkly (1st Corinthians 13:12, John 13:7), so we aren't always going to understand, but I honestly believe we aren't SUPPOSED to! It wouldn't be called trust if it was easy! Trust is not easy and is ONLY forged through time, one showing they are trust-worthy, love and relationship.

If anyone is deserving of our TRUST . . . wouldn't it be the One who hung the sun and moon, flung the stars in place (and knows them ALL by name), carved the mountains, filled the creeks, rivers, lakes and oceans, paints the sky and breathed us into existence? And if those reasons somehow aren't enough to trust Him; consider the blood He shed for you to reconcile us to His Father . . . doesn't ALL that demonstrate His great love for us and His trustworthiness?

When It's Hard to Trust

Remember this . . . you are NOT alone. It's difficult to trust when things aren't going your way, when those things you are praying for haven't been answered in the fashion you are believing they will or when your prayer gets answered, but it's not the answer you wanted. That's part of being human.

When you receive the diagnosis, when you receive the tragic news, when you lose your job, when your marriage fails, when that friend betrays you, when you don't feel good enough, when you lose all your money, when your career isn't going the way you'd hoped and dreamed JUST TRUST!!

Psalm 62:8 says, "Trust in Him at ALL times, pour out your heart to Him, for God is our Refuge." Notice it doesn't say when everything is hunky dory, when the birds are chirping, the sun is out and the harp is playing . . . it says ALL times. That's not a suggestion-- that's a directive for one of the simplest, yet hardest, things we can ever do here on Earth.

There will be times when He doesn't catch you and you find yourself completely broken. Friends when that happens, REJOICE-- when we are broken . . . when we are hurting . . . when we feel like nothing is going right; that's when we find the Answer to all our questions~ JESUS! That's when He can begin to mold us into the Masterpiece we already are yet have refused to be. When we feel like we can't take another step . . . we find the beautiful Truth-- we don't have to! He will carry us.