Trust

Trust: "reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence." According to dictionary.com, this is the first definition that comes up. I always think it helps to know the exact definition of a word before analyzing it or even using it. So many times we use words without knowing the true meaning. The bible uses the word trust 164 times! Recently, I've been struggling with the "trust issue." I believe it has everything to do with Christianity and being a Christian. If you claim to be a Christian, or a follower of Christ, you are declaring that you trust in Him. As with nearly everything, it's easier said than done. There's a neat acronym called FROG. It stands for "fully rely on God."


Fully
Rely
On
God

I found this phrase on a bus in a church parking lot when I was at a Bible Quizzing meet. It must be a common acronym among Christians because most of the people on my Quizzing team were familiar with it. Being new to me, I couldn't hold back my enthusiasm for it. I remarked, "Wow! That's such a cool acronym! I can't believe I haven't seen it before." I guess what really made it neat, was the fact it was a memory device. We are only human and have limited memories. Especially on God and all He's done for us. I wish it wasn't that way, but I tend to forget time and time again how great God really is.

Notice how it doesn't just say "rely on God." No, it says "fully rely on God." That's the thing about trust: it's an all or nothing situation. You can't say that you trust in something with only half your heart. It's like the trust game where you fall into another person's arms. You have to fully rely and trust that they're going to catch you. Like the dictionary definition says, you have to have confidence in that person. Confidence that they won't let you fall or get harmed. Also, you must trust in their ability. If you weigh more than they do and are twice their size, you might consider their ability. You might not trust them if you don't think they can handle it. The same is true of God. To claim that you fully trust in God, you have to put your faith in His ability and strength, having confidence that He knows what He's doing.

During finals week, I was a mess (see "A New Perspective" blog post). I was so caught up in the world's expectations and trying to be perfect that I forgot who gave me the abilities in the first place. Sometimes it's hard to understand what God means by putting your trust in Him. Luckily, the Bible has many different references to trust.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

This is a familiar verse, and I have committed it to memory since I was a child, but I never understood it completely until now. I was relying on my own understanding to try and get through my stressful week, which consequently ended in an emotional breakdown. I lost it without trusting in God. Once I realized I couldn't do it alone, not only did I feel much better, but I was blessed by it. Somehow, only through God's strength, I managed to get good grades on my projects and finals without studying. Now let me clarify, I wasn't intentionally trying to see how I would do without putting much time into it. I was simply busy with other things and didn't have the time to study (or much time to finish my huge projects). Instead, I went on a youth group retreat for the weekend before finals. This strengthened my newly discovered trust in God, because the chapel services were on trust! I don't think anything in life is coincidental, but all from God's plan and purpose.

To help you understand the magnitude of what I mean, I'll give an example of a mini "miracle" that occurred in my Advanced Pre-Calculus class, as a result from trusting in God. I'm not exactly fond of math and never have been (that doesn't mean I'm not good at it...). But, this year I have a phenomenal teacher who is gradually teaching me how math can be fun. The class is extremely challenging and rigorous, though. Since the only grades we receive are from tests and quizzes, it's hard to get a good grade in the class. A few years ago, a B would be considered failing to me, but this class has taught me that a B is actually quite good. However, a B- is a little different. This is where I was before finals, and I was completely terrified at the thought of getting a C+. After my emotional breakdown, I came to the conclusion that grades didn't matter and that it's not the end of the world if I get a C. Jesus still loves me (and so do my parents)! Keeping this in mind, without time to study, I said a silent prayer before the test and asked God to help me remember what I learned without making silly mistakes (like I normally do). When I looked at my grade online, I was skeptical and honestly didn't believe it. I thought, "Well the computer says I only missed one point and got a 97%, but that's not possible, is it?" Even when God had given me a miracle (in my eyes), I still doubted His power and insisted there must have been a mistake. I am smart. God created me that way and gave me many talents. I often say I'm not, in response to insecurity and lack of self-esteem. What I fail to realize is, it's God's gift, not mine. If I am smart, I must give the glory to Him and credit Him for my intelligence. Even though it was the best grade I received on a test in that class, I give all of the credit to my Savior. He helped me remember the formulas and kept me alert so I didn't make mistakes. It may seem insignificant to you, but it was like a miracle to me. I trusted in God, with all of my heart, mind, and soul, and was blessed beyond my imagination!

No matter what you're going through, you don't have to go at it alone. Jesus died on the cross for a reason, and if you put your trust in Him, you will certainly be blessed. All it takes is complete trust, falling into His arms without flinching, with full confidence in God's strength and power. Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through him who gives me strength." This is so true. Base your confidence on Him and give the glory to the one who gave you your unique and fabulous talents. It might take some time and frustration (aka emotional breakdown!), but once you learn to trust in God, you won't ever want to turn back.

-Frog picture found on Google.
-Flower picture taken by Bubbly :)