Trust: Something Even Toddlers and Puppies Understand

When was the last time you saw a toddler obviously worrying about what mom or dad was going to do? Or a puppy sitting in its bed, stewing over what decisions its owner might make? Probably never, because trust is something that comes naturally to children and little pets – at least until that trust is broken, and even then it usually has to happen multiple times.

So why do we have so much trouble trusting in God, putting our faith into action? We can argue that toddlers and puppies have very simplistic thinking. They don’t know how the trust placed in people can be betrayed, how lofty illusions can be shattered. And having learned that through difficult life experiences, we transfer our acquired skepticism to the Lord.

 

And yet, trusting God regardless of the circumstances is one of the hallmarks of a walk of faith. My life verse (actually two verses) is Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” I can’t tell you how many times I clung to that passage, desperately trusting in the Lord and His direction, especially when the outcome of what I was struggling with at the time was very much in doubt.

 

We live in perilous, unprecedented times. For those of us who had become nestled in our cozy little comfort zones, the uncertainty of the current chaos has been more than unsettling. Those things we did place our trust in – our routines, resources and everyday rhythms – have been turned upside-down, leaving us frustrated at best, fearful and filled with foreboding at worst.

 

But the good news is, what a wonderful time for trusting in the One that is unchanging, always faithful and never failing: the Lord, Jehovah God, Yahweh. The Scriptures repeatedly exhort us to do this, to trust Him when circumstances seem dark, uncertain and discouraging. 

 

A good friend used to tell men he was mentoring when they came to him with tales of woe, “You’re in a great position!” By this he meant that once they had exhausted every option they could think of, when their own efforts to solve their problems had fallen short, they were finally at a point when they had no alternative but to trust God. 

 

Another favorite passage affirms the importance – the utter necessity – of trusting God, even when He doesn’t respond according to our timetable and often in ways different than we had expected or hoped: “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:2-7).

 

Of course, developing such trust isn’t automatic; it’s certainly not easy. Even if we reflect on wonderful things the Lord has done for us in the past, it’s not uncommon to take an attitude of, “Yeah, but what have You done for me lately?”

 

But experience – trusting God in small things, then bigger ones, seeing how incredibly He worked in and through our circumstances, often in ways we could never have envisioned – can serve as a great asset as we seek to trust Him in new and unfamiliar developments and dilemmas.

 

Later in the psalm, the writer King David observes, “If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; although he stumbles, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread” (Psalm 37:23-25). What an incredible assertion, particularly when external forces cause us to doubt.

 

What has you anxious today? What keeps you awake at night? You might be thinking, “Don’t get me started!” Yes, from the unrelenting cries of “the sky is falling” we receive daily from the media to the inevitable challenges we face in our families and our homes, we have many worrisome things from which to choose. But this is why we need to rest in the promises we find in the Scriptures, trusting that out of the chaos God will create something beautiful and blessed.

 

As He was concluding His earthly ministry, Jesus gave His followers this assurance: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). In the Scriptures we find, so many times that it’s impossible to overlook, God’s central promise: “Trust Me.” I don’t know about you, but I need this reminder today.

Peace: Pursuing the Elusive

There's something peaceful, serene about a sunset.
If only all of life were so filled with peace.

Peace. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Seems peaceful just to say the word. “Peace” – aaaahhhh! If only finding and experiencing peace were so easy, right?

When was the last time you truly felt at peace? Maybe you’re an easygoing, glass-is-half-full type of person that’s seldom ruffled. If so, congratulations. Your “peace meter” probably registers a lot higher on the scale than for most of us that find peace to be a highly desired, but very elusive commodity.

There are all kinds of factors that can disrupt our sense of peace: Family conflict. A large, unexpected bill that appears in the mailbox. A major repair required for the home or the car. An adverse health diagnosis.

It seems everywhere we look, there are
warnings of impending calamity.

If you suspect you’ve been feeling too peaceful of late, just turn on the news. That will remedy that. Between the natural disasters, acts of terror, traffic mayhem, unsettling economic forecasts, reports of violence and senseless killings, not to mention unrelenting, polarizing politics, you’d find more peace putting your hand into a tank of starving piranhas.

So where can we find peace and fill our longing for calm in the midst of life’s constant storms? We could just close our eyes, stick our fingers in our ears and sing, “La, la, la, la,” until we run out of breath. We can adopt a Pollyanna attitude, insisting on concentrating only on things positive and determinedly avoiding everything negative.

Or we can turn to the only true, uncompromising, ever-dependable source of peace, Jesus Christ. He promised, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Amazingly, Jesus said this fully aware of what lay ahead for Him: rejection by adoring followers, ridicule, torture and crucifixion. As unspeakable horror for Himself loomed in the near future, Jesus spoke confidently of peace.

The apostle Paul, no stranger to persecution – both as the inflictor and the victim – offered similar assurances. He wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Recently a friend was telling me about his open-heart surgery, when the heart is literally stopped for a period of time while coronary bypass grafts are performed. He spoke about the incredible sense of peace he felt, which truly transcended human understanding, even knowing there was a possibility of a stroke during the procedure, or even death if his heart did not restart. That was my experience as well nearly 10 years ago. Peace in the face of uncertainty.

Peace, in large measure, is a choice. We can focus on the chaos and turmoil in our lives and around the world, and our stomachs will be in a continual churning cycle. Or we can concentrate on Christ, trusting Him for peace in the midst of the storm.

That’s why I so appreciate the refrain from the old hymn: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

Are you longing for peace today, but lacking it? Could be you’re looking for it in the wrong places.

What the World Needs Now Is . . . Serenity?

Could anything be more peaceful, more serene than a quiet
pond on a warm day with a gentle breeze passing by?

A new year has begun, but if you could give the world a belated Christmas gift, what would it be? How about…serenity?

It seems the world around us offers anything but serenity. Violence, wars, crime and terrorism command the headlines most days. Predictions of economic disaster worry us. We’ve lost trust in our government leaders to do the right thing. Extreme weather and the threat of natural disasters keep us unsettled. The fear of receiving bad news, such as having loved ones encounter grave diseases or tragic accidents, keeps us in a state of anxiety. Even positives in life – cell phones, social media, the Internet, incessant news and talk – are enough to disturb the peace in our lives.

It’s gotten to the point where if you say the word, “serenity,” we wonder, “What in the heck is that?” Is it reclining in a field surrounded by flowers on a warm, sunny day with a gentle breeze brushing our face? Sitting in our favorite chair with an engrossing book without the constant clamor of TV in the background? Having a pleasant conversation with a friend without the risk of emotions boiling over into a heated argument? Or listening to a symphony, its familiar melodies and harmonies, pauses and crescendos calming our minds and touching our hearts?

Most of us are familiar with the so-called “Serenity Prayer” used by organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage the change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” I like how it starts: “God.” Try as we might, I’m convinced true, lasting peace isn’t possible apart from God.

Yes, we can easily find distractions or choose to ignore the chaos surrounding us. But serenity – the “peace that passes all understanding,” as Philippians 4:7 describes it – can only be found in a sovereign God who rules and overrules our circumstances and the troubling issues we confront every day.

Thinking about the Serenity Prayer, which originally was an untitled prayer by American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, did you know there’s more to his prayerful reflection? It continues:

Living one day at a time; 


Enjoying one moment at a time; 


Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 


Taking, as He did, this sinful world
 as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right 
if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him


Forever in the next.

Amen.

So in Niebuhr’s view, serenity is more than being able to distinguish between what we can change and what we cannot. It’s cultivating the capacity to live a day at a time, a moment at a time. It’s accepting the hard times in life as well as the easy ones.

It’s seeking to see this broken world as God sees it, rather than the way we’d like it to be, trusting He’s busily at work to redeem and reconcile His people and His creation to His original design. And it’s being able to look past this life, holding great anticipation for the life to come.

Shortly before going to the cross as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of mankind, Jesus voiced these words of encouragement to His followers: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

If we can believe that promise, living and acting according to it, we’ll discover serenity isn’t as far from our grasp as we suspected.