I'll Catch You! A Lesson in Trust

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not depend on your own understanding. In all your ways remember Him. Then He will make your paths smooth and straight" (Proverbs 3:5-6, New International Reader's Version).

I often find myself looking for opportunities to teach my boys biblical principles through their life experiences. This morning was no different as Asaiah and I sat down to begin his devotion. Once again God reminded me of a simple lesson about trust through an exercise that isn't new.

We opened his bible and began looking at Proverbs 3:5-6, which in part instructs us to trust in God with all of our heart. I asked Asaiah what he thought trust meant. He explained it from his limited perspective but I felt like he needed to see trust in action to help him remember its true definition. I sprung up from the couch, and asked him to stand in front of me with his eyes looking forward. I asked him to stretch his arms out and without looking I told him to fall straight back. Right away Asaiah was hesitant. He was scared. He said as much. I told him that he could trust me to catch him. He wasn't so sure.

Then, he did something that I didn't expect him to do. He began taking control, instructing me on how far back I could stand from him. Next, he told me to reach my arms closer to him. At first without thinking, I followed his directions because I wanted him to feel comfortable. But was that the lesson I was trying to teach him? That he could manipulate and take control of uncomfortable situations to make it easier for him to trust? Does God want us to trust Him in the same way? I don't think so.

I stopped my son at that point, turned him around, and looked him in the eyes. I said, "Son, trusting God is not an exercise in our ability to make our situation comfortable. We have to trust God even when we can't see that His protection is there. Mommy is right behind you. When you fall back, I will catch you. By obeying me, you are learning to trust me. I won't let you hit the ground. This is true about God, too. In life, you won't always see God with your eyes, but He is all around you, and as you learn to obey Him, you are also learning to trust Him. You have to let go of the control. Trust God to catch you just like mommy will catch you now!" This little pep talk gave my five-year old son courage because he turned around and without a word he fell back in my arms without looking back!

I was so proud of Asaiah for taking me at my word and for following through with this exercise in trust and faith. But in the process of teaching him this important lesson, God put His thumb on this area in my life. Can you relate? Have you taken control back from God in some areas of your life so you didn't have to continue enduring a challenging situation, relationship, or hardship? So you were more comfortable? I'm sure we've all done this to some degree, at some point or another.

When we are faced with an uncomfortable situation, our first instinct may be to take control to reduce our fear in some way. That's what Asaiah was trying to do by giving me instructions on how to catch him. But May I challenge you for a moment? Our relationships are not perfect. Our children are not perfect. Nothing is guaranteed or perfect in life; however, the one thing that is constant and never-changing is God's Sovereignty over all the details. This means that nothing happens to us that He does not allow. So rather than trying to take control over our situation that leads us outside of God's will for our life (we find His will for our life in God's word--the Bible), why don't we first seek Him and trust Him to see us through?

Falling back into the arms of God with our eyes closed and trusting God to catch us is uncomfortable but if we take God at His word in Proverbs 3:5-6, we can be sure that in doing so, He will make our road straight and smooth even in the longest valley! The point is that God allows us to walk through difficult situations that require us to trust Him blindly so that it brings glory to Him, to His saving grace, to His restorative power, to His healing mercy not so that we can boast in what we did to bring resolution to our problem or so that it suits us entirely (though God desires for us to enjoy success, Jeremiah 29:11, New International Reader's Version).

Father God, I pray that we would be prompted by Your Holy Spirit this morning to re-evaluate our choices to take control back from You because we are uncomfortable trusting You to help us stay the course in whatever we are experiencing. Please forgive us for stepping in the way, for jumping ship too early, for walking in our ability, for not leaning on You but instead leaning on our own understanding. Please help us to remember that as we trust You in our life, You will make our path smooth and straight! In Jesus Name, Amen.

Take Aways...

Take some time today to put your mind and heart on God. Don't think about others who may be involved in a situation that is difficult. Just think about the Lord and ask Him to give you clarity of mind to do the right thing. Ask Him to teach you how to trust Him and to follow Him according to His word and what His word instructs you to do.

Write down your thoughts in a journal, date your entry, and each day this week reflect on what you wrote. Are your thoughts in line with God's word?

Do they reflect a biblical perspective? Forget about how you feel. Just answer, yes or no, to this question.

Finally, write out a prayer that includes scriptures on trusting God. Read and re-read your prayer throughout this week. Jot down any changes in your thinking or feelings.

Scriptures to Remember....

Psalm 9:10
Lord, those who know you will trust in you. You have never deserted those who look to you.

Psalm 13:5
But I trust in your faithful love. My heart is filled with joy because you will save me.