I have always carried an image of trust that involves floating on water. I think this is because I am not a good swimmer and every swimming lesson I recall began with the instructor wanting me to float on my back. I would comply and they would hold me, ever so lightly, in the middle of my back. Inevitably when they let go I would begin to sink. I was never successful at floating. But I wanted to be. When I watched other people float they seemed so relaxed and happy. “They trust the water” is what I thought. But maybe they don’t. Maybe they trust themselves to always know how to swim? Or maybe they trust the people around them to save them when they need saving. I want to trust like that. Maybe trust is a gift, like grace. I want to trust.
Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.
John 12: 24-25 from The Message
What does trust look like for you in your life? How do you live in trust with God and your neighbor?
~Linda
2 Comments
kevinsjourneys
Well that was an experince. Away
Howdy All,
I guess I have to do this all again. When I tried to post my previos comment the comment got lost, so lets see if I have Trust that I will write the same piece of great work.
This “trust” subject came up during Table on Tap, This got me thinking; everyone always talks about having “Faith” in God, but I haven’t heard as many people talk about “Trusting” God.
So, I ask myself is there a difference between trusting or having faith in God? My first thought was yes, but upon further review the differnce isn’t clear.
I was wondering what other people thought?
Please, feel free to join the discussion and maybe we can grow in Faith together.
Blessings,
Kevin
Ashley Symons
Kevin, I was really interested in your question of whether there’s a difference between faith and trust in God. I actually had the same reaction. I was like “oh yes, there’s definitely a difference” but I couldn’t pinpoint what that was. So, I decided to google it. Unfortunately, the internet wasn’t much help in this matter. All I found were infuriatingly simplistic definitions and articles I disagreed with. Then I realized that this was one of those questions that there is no right or wrong answer, so maybe I should look inward, not for the answer, but for my answer. Here’s what I came up with.
In my life, in my relationship with God, faith and trust are different thing. For me to have faith in God is to, first and foremost, believe that God is there and will always be there for me. Faith is the act of continuously turning my life over to God. But I tend to think of having faith in something, something bigger than myself, rather than someone. I’m not sure quite why I think this, but the act of trusting seems much more personal. To trust requires an intimate relationship and it tends to be more mutual.
While I still struggle with having faith in God, I can more easily do that than trust in God. Part of me is still uncertain about having a personal relationship with God. I can’t even imagine what that would look like for me. I have people in my life that I trust deeply, but even that terrifies me. I mean, Jesus trusted God probably more than anyone, yet felt God’s complete absence on the cross. What does that mean for the rest of us? I found this that I scribbled on the back of a bulletin a while back:
“My God, my god, why have you forsaken me?
Is this how you meant for my life to be?
I want to escape this, but I don’t know how.
You say you love me, but where are you now? ”
Please excuse my mediocre poetry skills. The point of me sharing this is when you’ve so deeply felt God’s absence, how do you trust God’s presence? I can have faith that God is there, but I don’t trust yet that God is there for me, that God would actually want to have a relationship with me, if that makes sense.
I’m curious how other people think about all this. Please more people comment!