Trust Completely
--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
--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
