Trust Is Tricky

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding...  Proverbs 3:5

Trust can be a tricky thing.  We live in a world that promotes independence and self-sufficiency but we follow a God who promotes the opposite.  The world says “Grab it…take charge of it…look out for yourself…be great!” The Father who created us and adores us says “Let go…I have the plan…surrender to me and I will lead you to a life far more magnificent than you can fathom!”  When you actually read it on paper it makes the decision seem pretty simple but trusting Him can be tough.  We’re conditioned to muscle our way through and He wants to fight for us so each day needs to be an exercise in letting Him.

I’ve shared before that God and I have an agreement about my travel.  I ask Him to get me where I need to be on time because people and schedules are counting on me but I promise to surrender and let Him do anything He wants to with my trip home without complaint.  I offer any struggle or inconvenience that I might want to whine about for the people I just worked with and the people I love or who need prayers.  I started this deal with the Father for two reasons.  First, I know we can never get to heaven without some suffering and second, there are so many people who need prayer and offering up any of my inconvenience is a prayerful gift.  But there is also a third reason…I just get a kick out of seeing how fancy He is and how He shows His love and care for me when I do actually trust Him.  He’s done some pretty funny stuff on my trips home but last weekend He showed His fanciness in a giant way. 

As usual, I got to Oklahoma City with travel that was smooth as silk!  It was a spectacular weekend and I met some truly amazing faith filled people of all ages! The hospitality and friendly conversation absolutely filled my heart!  I got up at 3 am on Sunday to begin my journey home.  I had a 3:45 Uber to get me to the airport for a 5 am flight.  As I got in the elevator on the 14th floor, I wasn’t expecting any other passengers but the elevator stopped on floor 13 and two folks joined me.  As soon as the door closed the elevator took off like a rocket and stopped with a slam between floor 6 and 7.  The first thing I thought was…we’re ok…thank you Jesus!  The lady was struggling in a big way and as I was praying in my head and feeling complete peace it occurred to me that I should pray out-loud so the young couple could feel it too…and they did.  The second thing I thought was…oh no, the Uber is gonna leave because I’ll be late.  I just smiled to myself knowing God would find me a later flight.  Two firemen arrived and pried open the doors and lifted us out and I was rushing out the hotel door only to discover that the fire truck was blocking the Uber driver so he had to wait for me.  My TSA precheck status number arrived the day before I left on this trip so I was able to zip through security and make my flight.  I buckled up thinking how  many times He just takes care of every little thing. The TSA number wasn’t supposed to arrive until September but He knew I’d need it earlier…nobody was hurt in the elevator…the firemen arrived quickly…the young couple yelled from across the hotel foyer as I got in the Uber “Thank you for praying; we should start doing that!” He is always right there and when my eyes are on Him, I see what He’s doing along the way.  The only thing I might have to complain about is that my flight was so early Starbucks wasn’t even open!

Surrendering my travel is such a simple way to trust more plus it’s just plain funny to see all the ways He works.  When we were getting ready to land in Atlanta, the pilot announced that we would need to circle the airport again because the landing flap wasn’t working properly.  I decided to use that 20 minutes to pray a Rosary for everyone who is sick, struggling or starting a new school year…we touched down perfectly just as I finished the last prayer.  He’s just so fancy!  I’m not sure who needed that Rosary at that specific time but I know I wouldn’t have prayed it if we hadn’t heard that announcement.  I trust He did something lovely with those prayers.  I never get home on time or like my ticket says I will, but it sure makes great stories and gives me lots of chances to see where He’s working in my life. 
 
A Seed To Plant:  What can you surrender to the Lord that might help you grow in trust?
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Blessings on your day!