Life is messy, but God doesn’t send hardships our way on purpose. He is simply not like that. Our misunderstanding of the conditions of our lives can be paralyzing, yet it can also be converted into an opportunity to trust.
Trust is a choice. We can choose to play the proverbial victim Eeyore, wallowing in our “woe is me” attitudes and disparaging our poor, needy selves, or we can choose to rise above each challenge as an invitation to come back to trust.
Trust puts us out there. Trust makes us vulnerable, especially when we have trusted before and that trust was broken. Fallible human beings break trust with one another all the time. That’s why we have forgiveness and reconciliation! Making a decision to, once again, trust someone who has hurt you is very difficult. Yet, we must forgive and reconcile before we can trust. Trust is difficult for us humans because we are, generally, not very good at preserving it. We mess up often. Life and people let us down. Trusting God, however, is without risk because God doesn’t break trust. God is all about relationships, and he doesn’t make mistakes.
Great Expectations
When my expectations for life and relationships are greater than my trust in God, I am doomed to perpetual disappointment.
What we hope for, here on earth, always falls short of what awaits us in the kingdom.
Facing a sudden financial crisis, loss of a home, death of a loved one, or even lost time with a precious friend or a distanced family member? When I don’t understand why these things happen, how can I continue to trust in God?
“Have you not heard?
The Lord God is from of old,
Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary,
And his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.”
-Isaiah 40:28
Although we may not understand, we are always invited….to trust!
– Amy Righi
