Taking the Risk in Trusting God: An Invitation
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely; in all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
I’ve heard Proverbs 3:5-6 probably a million times since I was a kid. Most of the time, my reaction has been along the lines of, “Yeah, yeah, I know.”
Growing up in the Catholic faith, “trust” is the answer to everything. We learn the one-line prayer early on: “Jezu ufam tobie,” or “Jesus I trust in You.” Perhaps, like me, you grew up with the famous image from Poland somewhere in your house.
And yet, as much as one hears about it, trust is difficult. Reading the verse from Proverbs again, the word that sticks out is “all”—with all your heart. The heart flinches at the thought, and the truth becomes apparent: Trusting God with everything is hard.
The Riskiness of Surrender
The thing about trust is that it involves surrender—and, when you’re a goal-oriented, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps, do-it-yourselfer type, surrender is a big ask. It means letting go of control and the pursuit of perfect plans.
Why is surrender such a scary thought? Because it involves risk.
When we don’t know the outcome of a situation, surrender feels like a long shot. In the business world, we don’t make an investment or sign a contract if we don’t know what we’ll be getting out of it. It would be imprudent. Yet, it can feel like faith calls us to take a risk. What will we get out of it? We can’t know his will for certain, but we do know that he will never leave us wanting. The Bible is filled with reminders of God’s promises, telling us time and again that he wants the best for us; we are the ones holding on to what we think is right. It’s not until we let go “of our own understanding”—that is, our self-reliance and pride—that we can leave our hands open to receive what he has in store for us. We can trust him, because love can be trusted. Love never leaves us empty.
“Jesus, I Trust in You”
The following quotes from Saint Faustina’s diary may serve as a reminder to trust in God and His timing:
“The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive” (No. 1578).
“I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls” (1074).
“When I see that the burden is beyond my strength, I do not consider or analyze it or probe into it, but I run like a child to the Heart of Jesus and say only one word to Him: ‘You can do all things.’ And then I keep silent, because I know that Jesus Himself will intervene in the matter, and as for me, instead of tormenting myself, I use that time to love Him” (1033).
Blanca Thérèse Morales is first and foremost a beloved daughter of God the Father. She has been blessed to spend 12 years writing about events, culture and faith for various publications, including The Florida Catholic, Verily Magazine and Life Teen. It was in meeting great people through her writing that she discovered her other passions: building community, hosting brunches, and organizing house concerts. When she’s not media buying or creating content at work, she can be found exploring new places, searching for the best lattes or microblogging at @Rise.And.Create. Find her on LinkedIn, or connect with her on Instagram @pursuingloveliness.