No Shortcut to Trust

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight. 

Proverbs 3:5&6 

The definition of trust is an unshakable belief in the ability, truth, reliability,  or strength of a person or an object. When it comes to everyday trusted items, there are specific brands or products I use because over time I have found them trustworthy. The more experience I have with a tool or process, the more confidence I have in its performance. In the same way, this principle rings true with relationships. Friendships that have lasted many seasons I know are due to loyal and reliable people in my life. My experience is that you don’t apply trust to a person you first meet. That builds over time. The same is true in all other areas of life as well. Two things need to happen for me to trust: relationship and the passing of time.

There is no shortcut to trust when I think about people or things in my life. I have to have a relationship, and I have to see reliability over an extended period. These can’t be separated in the building of trust.

Sometimes as men, we treat belief differently with God than we do with our everyday experience. It is evident that interacting with a person and experiencing reliability drive trust to new levels. I have to spend time with and see consistency in a potential friend before I can trust them. Both relationship and demonstration are necessary. Somehow we expect with God that we need experience only before we’re willing to rely on Him. We sit back and wait for Him to prove something. Beginning to trust means I must enter into a relationship with Him, by doing my part to engage, while experiencing the trustworthiness of His Person.

DO THIS TODAY: Submit something to God and watch for Him to work.