The Trust Factor

This morning I read Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths."

Ever have trouble trusting God? I do. It's nothing God has done. It's totally based on my personality and past experiences. You see when I was 13, my parents got divorced and it rocked my world! I never thought that would happen to my family. I grew up in a Christian home and these things weren't supposed to happen. As I look back, I think a new script was trying to be written for my life that said "See, if you can't trust your own parents who can you trust?" So, ever since I was a teenager, I've pretty much just looked out for number one. I HAD to lean on my own understanding because no one was going to look out for me.

Don't get me wrong; over the years, God has been faithful and I have experienced His amazing grace - but there are still times that I'm not totally 100% trusting Him with ALL my heart; maybe 85%, sometimes even 95%, but 100%? Again, it stems back to the traumatic experience of divorce.

Part of the problem is that God is invisible and sometimes takes His good ole sweet time to do certain things. Me, on the other hand - I know what I'm capable of. I can get things done. Growing up, I learned to take care of myself and I didn't need my parents and certainly didn't need God..

But here's the deal - An immature person (who hasn't grown up) will continue to try and do things all on their own (thinking they are a mature adult). But the truth I'm learning is that a spiritually mature, grown up Christian starts to let go (surrender control) and say, "OK God - no matter what has happened to me in the past (good or bad), I will trust you with the leading of my life because I know that you are the perfect parent. I don't have to find my own way in life. You have already made the way clear. I don't have to prove myself. I don't have to try and figure it all out on my own. I simply acknowledge you and you will guide me".

Trust may be hard for you, too. Why is that? Because unfortunately people will let us down. People will lie to us. People will deceive us to get their own way. People will hurt us. There is a saying, "Hurting people hurt people". 1 Peter 2:24 says that Jesus bore our sins...and by his wounds we are healed. Jesus trusted God the Father with His very life. He carried the wounds of people who lied to Him, deceived Him, cheated Him and let Him down. - and was healed with a resurrected Body - ALL BY TRUSTING IN THE LORD WITH ALL HIS HEART. I hope to do the same.