By trusting, we learn to trust.
Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, Chapter 12, Recovering a Sense of Faith
Water is wet. Truth is true. Life be life’ing. God is God.
I know in my body, the truth. I know in my mind and in my spirit, the truth. The truth lives in me. It lives in all of us! As Carolyn Myss says, that’s how we know we’re at the edge of the cliff even when our eyes are closed. We feel it before we see it.
And isn’t that always true??
We feel it before we see it. Which “coincidentally”, was also today’s verse of the day in the Bible app:
The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.
Hebrews 11:1 MSG (click link for other translations)
Did you see it? You caught it? You heard it? Did you feel it?
Not surprisingly, “ironically”, we learn to trust… by Trusting.
God is Truth. Capital t Truth because ain’t but One at the end of the day. Truth and trusting are soooooo deeply interconnected! They have the strongest correlation (which, btw, is a 1.0 or a hunnid percent!)! I can’t have faith without Truth– God’s Truth, not my own!– and I can’t have faith without Trust– again, trusting God, not myself! I don’t oftentimes trust myself, but I trust God… Most of the time. (Because sometimes I play tew much and really be out here trying to negotiate like “Now God, I heard You when You said X, but you want me to do [or not do!] what?!” But I di-Jo. I really am a work in progress, ya know?!)
The thing is… I trust what I can see. 🗣🗣🗣 And I sometimes forget that I ALWAYS feel before I know because the Truth lives in me.
By trusting, I open my heart, my mind, my body, and my soul to the infinite, unending possibilities of God’s Truth. This divine truth is not just a concept on paper but a living, breathing essence within me, within us! It is the gentle whisper guiding us, the deep inner knowing that transcends our physical senses. We are, after all, spiritual beings having a physical experience! It’s the still, small voice within that whispers “look before you step” and when you look, really look!, you find that you’re at the edge of the cliff! It’s the same voice within that when driving down the highway whispers “Slow down!” when you see that car zooming by in your rear view mirror, and by honoring and obeying the voice, you give juuuust enough space for that car to miss clipping your bumper at 70 miles an hour.
Faith becomes– no, faith IIIIS!!!– the bridge between what we feel and what we see, anchoring us in God’s unwavering Love and wisdom.
Wisdom
God’s wisdom. The Word of God is breathing. It lives! (Dang, I haven’t used this many italics in my writing and I sure do hope you’re picking up what I’m putting down! I sure do hope you’re catching the the Truth!)
Wisdom. Let’s take a hot minute to touch on that, shall we?
For starters, what is wisdom, exactly? Per my good sis Merriam Webster, (yes, as in my fav dictionary! Get you one!):
Wisdom is… DISCERNMENT?! OKAY THEN! TALK THAT TALK, SIS!!!
Back to Bible:
“Because you hated Knowledge and had nothing to do with the Fear-of-God, Because you wouldn’t take my advice and brushed aside all my offers to train you, Well, you’ve made your bed—now lie in it; you wanted your own way—now, how do you like it? Don’t you see what happens, you simpletons, you idiots? Carelessness kills; complacency is murder. First pay attention to me, and then relax. Now you can take it easy—you’re in good hands.”
Proverbs 1:31-33 MSG
(Another side note: I love reading the Message translation of the bible because the “now, how do you like it?” and you simpletons, you idiots?” really has some gusto, don’t?! Oftentimes I read the bible and it lovingly taunts me saying, “Bet you didn’t know that was in there!” …And I didn’t!!!)
Another translation says:
They filled their lives with what they wanted. They went their own way, so they will get what they deserve. “Fools die because they refuse to follow wisdom. They are content to follow their foolish ways, and that will destroy them. But those who listen to me will live in safety and comfort. They will have nothing to fear.”
Proverbs 1:31-33 ERV
One of the most amazing things to me is the freedom of choice. God could’ve put us in a headlock until we submitted to Him but He’s the truest gentleman (not like the human ones who pretend to be, but He actually is!) He’s the One who allows us to choose to believe in Him, and to follow Him, and to live our lives honoring Him… Or to die like fools because we lacked wisdom.
How do you get wisdom, you ask?
All you haffi do is ask!:
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
James 1:5 NIV (click link to read more translations)
It’s almost like He meant it when He said, “Ask and you shall receive” or whatever! Ha!
(Here’s a not-so-side side note: I just Googled which verse that’s from and… Umm… Turns out it’s not one… or two… but THREE different verses! My gawsh!:
- Matthew 7:7 NIV: “Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you”
- Luke 11:9 NIV: “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
- John 16:24 NIV: “…Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete”)
God’s Truth is the firm– and only!– foundation upon which I– we?!– build our lives. It reassures me in moments of doubt (in other words, when I stopped seeking Him!) and lights my path in times of uncertainty. Like Hebrews 11:1 says, “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” My faith helps me see what I can’t yet see in the physical. By embracing my faith and my God, I align myself with God’s eternal, unending Truth, feeling its presence before I ever see it. Trusting in this Truth, I find peace, strength, hope, the courage to take another baby step forward into the unknown, knowing that I am held in safety and comfort by the Most High.
And how do I know? Like I put on my graduation cap from Psalm 46:5 NIV: God is within her, she will not fall. (I can’t believe I just realized for the first time ever, 1 year and 7 months after graduating to realize I forgot to ask the artist who created my grad cap to cite the source! 🤦🏾♀️🤣🤣🤣)
Closing Prayer: Strengthening Faith Through Trust in God’s Truth
God, thank you for Your endless grace and divine wisdom. Thank you that You’re my goodt goodt Father! Thank you that when we ask You, we receive. Thank You that You hear me, that you hear us! Thank you that You are “the way and the truth and the life”. Thank You for your unwavering everything— patience, peace, and presence! Thank You that I am Yours and you are mine!
Help us grow our trust in you. For seeing and feeling and knowing capital t Truth! Thank You that by faith in You, we feel truth before we see it manifest. Thank You that our work is an opportunity to reflect our faith. Give us courage to be, to grow, to mature, to work, to do. Strengthen us where we are weak. Lighten our heavy load when we are weary and worn down. Return us home to You. Remind us of our foundation of faith in You. Help us diligently seek You and all that You are. More of You, and less of me! Thank You for gentle Love and guidance. Thank you that though we may stumble, we will never fall.
Thank You God that we are not complacent! Thank you for Your will in our lives and for teaching us self control. For being able to turn things over to You. Thank You for doing for us what we simply can’t do for ourselves. Thank You that You are, and that I am- we are!- because You are. Thank You for being. Thank You for breath. Thank you for rest, new hours, new days, new opportunities. Thank You for transformation, healing, and recovery. Thank You for Love so deep, so mighty, so powerful, so pure, so protecting, so gentle. Thank you for wisdom and discernment and grace. Thank you that we are here, together and apart. And so it is! Aaaaaaaamen.
Explore More: Overcoming Obstacles with Faith and Truth
Did you love this post? Dive deeper into overcoming shame and other emotionally treacherous by faith by checking out this oldie but goodie: Shame: Overcoming and Embracing Your True Self.
