Where is God calling me to greater trust?
Trust can be a very difficult thing, especially when we have been betrayed by someone close to us. Maybe we are the ones who betrayed someone in a significant relationship and that person is finding it difficult to trust us again. No matter our particular situation, the majority of us don’t have the benefit of an angel coming to us in a vivid dream, telling us to “trust” in God’s plan for our lives.
Joseph was in a serious predicament. He probably would not have gone through with his marriage to Mary had the angel not visited him. So what do we do without an angel telling us what to do when we face serious issues of betrayal, lost trust, times when we wonder if God is really there for us? Whether with God or the others in our lives, Trust involves willing collaboration and vulnerability.
Total trust means letting go of time as we know it (as well as the past) and trusting in God’s time. Some of the stress in the struggle may be essential in the growth of the relationship.
The Jamaicans have a great saying: “No problem, mon, only situation.” When we give all problems to God, we can trust that our moments of struggle are situational and will change and come to pass. Conversely, focusing our emotional energy on obstacles, past hurts, doubts, and discouragements, prevents us from moving forward through the trials in a willing collaboration of trust. Prayer is an essential part of the collaboration of trust: a conversation designed to help us center us back to God’s time. May we all learn to pray, trust, and let go of our focus on the problem and give the situation to our savior, Emmanuel, God with Us.
-Amy Righi