The Art of Trusting

Trusting is an art form. It takes practice, tools and skills built up over time, and just a touch of daring. It is an activity or practice that can be regarded as medium of expression for a relationship.

This week I was placed in a position of having to express the deepest trust and found that trusting God and trusting others often go hand in hand.

It started off on being in a place of dangerous ground, to where I was not caring what God wanted to say to me. This had to change. I needed to move from having no faith to having great faith, obedient faith and it had start with some action.

I have a passion for God. It has developed in me over the course of many years, several filled with trials and tribulations. I have had to learn over the years (and had to have it refreshed for me this week) that it is not simply God taking roll and his satisfaction with "Here!" but that he wants more. He desires, "I'm listening," as well. It is having the same response when times are difficult/critical as when your journey first began/when things were easier.

This time if I wanted to be listening to God, if I wanted to take him seriously, I needed to follow his calling for accountability, and in turn meant having to put my trust in a very dear friend. And so I did, and trust me it wasn't easy.

I couldn't eat all day, I was nauseous, and during our conversation I could hardly bring myself to look my friend in the eye. Up to that conversation I was facing a problem with faith. I was faced with the possible contradiction of a promise from God, with the command he had given me. How was God, in this situation, going to be a God of honour? I was facing the possibility of rejection, humiliation, and the loss of a friend. I'd experienced it before. How was God going to show up in this context? I had to take a chance, and I am so thankful I did.

Often trying to understand what God is doing puts us at a confrontation with what he would have us do. Trying to reason about what God will do binds us to inaction. But God has a plan both big picture and small and before we can see the place or to see the outcome, we must choose to see the God who is already there.

I would rather choose love and the risk that people will not accept me for everything that I am, then not trust God. Heb. 11 v. 17-19