Trust Completely

Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not be faint.

--Isaiah 40

we often hear that there are no mistakes, no coincidences, ever. We are told that all events, past, present, and future, serve a purpose. Some experiences eventually fit comfortably into this paradigm. A relationship that abruptly ended or a missed promotion undoubtedly closed doors that needed to close. In time we could see that.

But the experience of physical violence or the devastation of a natural disaster aren’t so easily accepted. And when we are worrying about a new job or medical test results, it’s hard to be peaceful and patient. At these times we have to help one another remember that we are always getting just what we need when we need it. Perhaps we can’t agree that we needed the abuse or the tornado’s destruction, but we did learn important lessons from the experience, lessons that we’ll likely be called on to share with others.

Remember, we’re here to teach and learn. We won’t always recognize one from the other.

My trust in the Holy Spirit lets me be patient today. Nothing will happen for which I’m not prepared.

-Karen Casey – Daily Meditations for Practicing The Course ©1995

 

I remember that in time of childhood I was very religious: I rose in the night, was punctual in the performance of my devotions and abstinent. One night I had bee sitting in the presence of my father, not having closed my eyes during the whole time, and with the holy Koran in my embrace, whilst numbers all around us were asleep.
I said to my father, “Not one of these lifteth up his head to perform his genuflexions; but they are all so fast asleep that you would say they are dead.”
He replied, “Life of your father, it were better if thou also wert asleep than to be searching out the fault of mankind. The boaster sees nothing but himself, having a veil of conceit before his eyes. If he were endowed with an eye capable of discerning God, he would not discover any person weaker than himself.”

--Sadi

We all have a concept of trust, like we do love. I can’t hold it in my hands, but I can tell when it is missing from my life. That would be when I am leaning only upon my own understanding to determine what is best in my life. That is when I hold on to the steering wheel of my life, believing I, alone, know where I need to go and how I need to get there. Trust is taking my hands off the steering wheel. Trust is letting go of the knob of the door I insist on opening, the door to nowhere. Think of what it means to say, “Thy will be done” and really mean it! Think long and hard about what it means to place your life and your fate in the hands of the Universe, and you will learn what it means to let go of the illusion of power over people and yourself and things and situations, and to be truly empowered by a higher form of inner wisdom. Unlike love, trust does not come in conditional and unconditional flavors. Letting go means letting go.

Many people believe in angels, or spirit guides and teachers. Call them what you will, but I cannot deny that someone or something is looking out for me. If that is so, then I should depend on them as true companions, sent to me from a loving Father – I should trust that they have my best interest in mind, and ask of them what I feel is needed in my life. They are not there to do for me, but to assist me in what I do. Life is a well organized dynamic, and I need to trust that whatever circumstance I find myself in is the best and most appropriate thing for me to work towards. Trusting in the Universe is not always easy, but it is best. Praying helps, for the messengers who carry our pleas await nearby. I must pray, I must ask, I must believe, I must trust. That is the partnership. I must also listen to and trust the signals coming from my spirit, my emotions and my body. I must listen to the message and trust in the timing.

Trust also allows me to follow my feelings through their defenses to their sources. If I am not trusting, there are parts of me that will resist wholeness, and live in fear. Trust allows me to call forth those aspects of me that are negative, to unearth them if necessary, and to heal them in the Light of consciousness. There is true wealth to be found on the spiritual path, and I am a willing and conscious student. I must listen to my heart, and feel what it feels, rather than what my head tells me I should feel. Divine intelligence is certainly to be found in the heart, not the head. Letting go of old baggage lightens my load. I must trust that I really don’t need to lug around all those negative feelings. Trusting makes it just as easy to laugh and be joyful in all that comes my way as it does to be glum and serious or to feel overwhelmed.

Trusting in myself prepares me to trust other people. My interactions with people are a source of growth and learning. If I wall myself off from them, not trusting, fearing what I might find in them, I lose opportunities for experiencing the power of the heart, the power of compassion. When I walk down the street and smile at someone, most often they return the smile. When I have harsh feelings toward someone, even when they are a stranger or perhaps an acquaintance, not aware of my ill feelings toward them, why should I not believe that those feelings, too, are somehow reflected back to me, making me an ill tempered and disagreeable person? Being receptive to what they may be feeling gives me the opportunity to find joy in the service of others, to ease their difficulties just by being there to listen, to understand, to give them a hug or a smile, or maybe just a break in traffic after a difficult day at work. Trusting in others is not easy, either. But each individual I encounter has a claim upon my kindness, my understanding, and my compassion. Conscious acknowledgement of my negative feelings toward others helps me to discharge them, to chase them away, in order to let the compassionate heart have its rightful place in my dealings with them. Life can be blissful when I set aside feelings of manipulation and protectiveness.

The Boy Scouts have, as the first of their Laws, trustworthiness (followed by loyalty, helpfulness, friendliness, courtesy, kindness, obedience to the Law and authority, cheerfulness, thrift, bravery, cleanliness, and last but not least, reverence for life and faith in the Deity). As a young Scout, I learned the value of people being able to trust me by being given more responsibility as a leader in the troop, and more so as a counselor in summer camp. I learned that I needed to earn people’s trust, that it is not given freely, and that I needed to be worthy of the confidence they placed in me by delivering my best effort to the tasks and responsibilities given me. All of the concepts listed above have stayed with me into adulthood, and they often float to the forefront of my thoughts as needed. They are a firm part of my belief system, and some of the concepts by which I measure my self-worth. They can all be applied in the form of trust – trusting in one’s self, in the basic goodness of humankind, and in the abundance of the Universe. I suppose that is why being trustworthy was the first of the Scout Laws.

Trust is important to every relationship we have, more especially to our spouse or partner and to those members of our family with whom we are close. Betrayal of trust is a most serious offense with respect to our relationships, as almost everyone has experienced. Losing a feeling of trust in another has the ability to cause the greatest damage to a relationship, because it is one of the most basic necessities for having a relationship with someone (along with love and respect). On the other hand, continuing to believe in your partner or family member or friend when they have betrayed your trust in them, giving them another chance to earn back that which was lost, exercising compassion, is to emulate the example of holy teachers throughout the ages. Add to the above list the following: honesty (no exceptions!) patience and longsuffering. They, too, are a necessary part of trust.

When considering the many choices I am given during the day, it is vital to also consider that most of the choices are somehow related to trust. I will strive to trust completely.

Michael

email: Michael@N-Spire.com

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