The Real Trust Exercise

I remember the trust exercise that we used to play back in high school.  One or two of us would stand behind someone, tell them to close their eyes and just fall back.  “Just close your eyes, and don’t worry…trust us…we’ll catch you.”  Then, to be funny we would let the person fall (think of the scene in Mean Girls).  We would make sure they wouldn’t get hurt of course!  I’ve been on both sides of this so called “trust” exercise.  I’ve been the person who fell, and the girl who thought it was funny to let the other person fall.  Even if the person did in fact catch you, you still never felt like you could fully trust that person to catch you again.    

But to truly trust in someone is a big deal.  It takes courage and faithfulness.  It isn’t something you get by falling into them…literally.  It takes a figurative leap on our part to put our full trust in someone.  I think sometimes we throw around the term trust too easily.  We say things like “oh I trust her, she won’t tell anyone my secret.”  Or “So and so is a trust-worthy person, you can tell them anything.”  Now, I’m not saying you can’t trust anyone.  I’m simply saying that we need to be cautious of who we trust with our hearts and our inner most thoughts. But there is someone who we can always trust with our hearts, and that’s Jesus. 

I can’t help but think of Martha in John 11.  She was grieving the loss of her brother Lazarus (whom Jesus would later raise from the dead) and she had gotten word that Jesus was coming back towards her town and she went to meet him.  She said to Jesus “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”  Jesus then says to Martha: “Your brother will rise again.” (John 11:20-23)   Martha knew to trust in Jesus and in the things He was saying.  She later tells Jesus in John 11:27 “I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world from God.” She had such unfailing trust in Jesus!  Jesus did of course, end up raising Lazarus from the dead later in the chapter.  But Martha’s trust in Jesus can be an example for us in our own lives.

Or in John 4, we find a short but powerful story of how Jesus healed an official’s son from miles and miles away.  Jesus just spoke it into being and the official’s son, who had been very sick, was healed.  The official trusted that after traveling that long journey to ask Jesus to heal his son, that he had done so and returned home…to a healthy son.  What power He has!  It amazes me!

Today, we live in a “seeing is believing” society and we play the Russian roulette of trust games with ourselves instead of turning to the One who is always steadfast and trustworthy.  As Christians, we should be the opposite.  We should believe always before we have to see.  Easier said than done right?!

Lately I’ve been struggling with this myself.  I’ve seen those I love pass away, friends that are going through pain that I don’t think they deserve, and I struggle to understand it all.  I’ve been on this mission to uncover why bad things happen to good people.  But friends, I can’t uncover this mystery because I’m not the one in control of it all.   While it’s extremely difficult to see these things happen, it’s not for me (or you) to understand why they happen.  It’s just for us to trust.  To trust that God has a plan for our lives.  To trust that His word is true and constant.  To trust that one day we will get to see those loved ones that have passed on and to see a reason why we went through what we did.  He understands it all because He is.  That’s just it.  He is.  He is everything.  He is God and His love for us in constant and everlasting.  

I often (okay way often) have a habit of wanting to take on what others are going through.  If it’s a friend that’s hurting…I want to take the pain away.  I want to fix whatever problem they're going through or having.  But I’ve come to realize that I can’t fix everything, I can just trust in Jesus and believe that what he has planned is WAY better than anything I could have ever come up with as a solution.  

Is there something today you’re struggling with that you feel like you want to hand over to Jesus and fully give Him your trust?  Maybe there’s something going on in your life that you don’t understand why it’s happening to you and you want a reason.  Friend, go to Him.  Are you like me and tend to be a “fixer” and right now you’re feeling helpless because you can’t fix whatever pain you or someone else is going through?  Go.  Give it up to the ultimate fixer!

It’s time for us to try the trust exercise over again today.  Only this time, don’t look back.  Just know that Jesus will be there to catch you (and me!) and let go.  Fall back.  Trust me... He’ll catch you…every time.

Blessings,

Amanda   

Photo Credit: cheezeburgers.com