Trust Fall

When our oldest was really little, about two years old or less, he used to like to jump off of "tall" things – like a couch or chair - and have PJ and I catch him. It was less of a jump and more of a lean-forward-and-fall-off sort of thing, but apparently it was really, really fun, because I remember him doing it over and over again. Problem was, he didn’t always wait to see if we were ready – or even if we were looking in his direction. He simply had complete faith that we were always going to catch him. At that age, he didn’t even consider what the consequences would be if we didn’t. He just totally trusted us, and each time we caught him it bolstered his confidence even more. Now, if we asked him to jump off of something so we could catch him, he would look at us like we’re crazy (he’s a “tween”), and he’d surely be quite skeptical that we would actually be able to follow through on what we said. He’d probably be looking at the ground more than at us, and thinking how it was going to feel when he hit it. I think he still trusts us, but he’s definitely got more experiences under his belt at this point that have told him that, while awesome (haha), his parents are also only human. 

Have you ever done a “trust fall” exercise? Ages ago, as newlyweds, PJ and I led youth group at our church, and I know we had the youth do a trust fall at least once – if not once a year. I remember doing it when I was a kid in youth group myself. I think it’s almost a youth group rite of passage, although I’ve also done it with other groups as well. Just in case you haven’t done it, or seen it done, basically what happens is that you stand on an elevated spot with your back facing the rest of your group who are below you standing in two lines facing each other, probably about three feet apart. Each person has their arms outstretched towards the person across from them, so that they are forming a sort of platform for you to land on. Upon being told that the group is ready, you will cross your arms over your chest and let yourself fall backwards without bending your knees or your waist. If all goes well (and I think it typically does when done properly and carefully) you will land safely in the arms of the group. It is a team-building exercise designed to inspire confidence and trust among the members of the group. It’s also kind of fun… however, it can be a bit difficult, too! Some people get up there and are just ready to go when the leader says so. Others take a bit more time to work up the courage to fall back. Unlike a two-year-old, it’s not always easy for us to trust others, even in a pretty controlled situation such as that. 

 

We can't always see where the road leads...

As a believer, I trust God. Or at least that’s my immediate reaction if someone asks me if I trust Him. If I stop to think deeper about it, though… well, it’s an interesting question to ask yourself. How much trust am I putting in God? And what does that really mean, anyway? 

When things are going well and we’re not facing anything too difficult in our life, we will likely answer that question with, “Yes, absolutely!” And we would believe it and mean it, too. It’s easy to say we trust someone when we’re standing on steady ground. Our genuine level of trust in God becomes apparent when we’re thrown headfirst into a tough situation. The ground beneath our feet begins to tilt. What is our response going to be? 

Last year I came up against a huge challenge to my faith. Nothing about the ground I was standing on felt steady anymore, in any respect. Life was upside-down and I felt utterly lost. Honestly, my immediate reaction was not to lean on God. My immediate reaction was to try and fix things myself. A couple weeks of that got me nowhere. Fast. It wasn’t until I turned to the Lord and put everything in His capable hands that things began to turn around in my situation. But even then, it wasn’t something that got better overnight. Trusting God means trusting in His timing, even when we’re in the middle of something hard. 

 

Which direction...

...should we go?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trusting God means acknowledging that He is in control, and that we are not. If we really believed that God is who He says He is, would we ever question this? I think not. That sounds harsh, but rest assured, I’m pointing the finger at myself first! It’s amazing how fast I forget what God has done for me. In spite of what I recently learned about trusting God, I still find myself doubting sometimes. Challenges that I have faced within the past couple of months, with house hunting and moving and all the stress surrounding that, have had me on edge at times. I’ve worried. I’ve fretted. I’ve lost sleep… all for nothing! It did no good. It didn’t change a single thing except to make me tired and put strain where it wasn’t needed. One week I’m believing that the Lord will provide and the next I’m staying up until all hours of the night worrying because, obviously, I don’t think He can handle it after all. (I’m rolling my eyes at myself now.) The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3: 5-6, emphasis mine.) That right there is pretty straightforward!

 

When we trust God we will act in prayer before doing anything. Even if it’s just to think, “Lord, help!” as we start to move. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16b) Do we really believe that? Do we trust that it is the truth? If we do, then we are actively carrying prayer with us wherever we go instead of sticking it in our back pocket to be used only occasionally. In Ephesians 6: 10-17, Paul talks about putting on the armor of God, and describes each piece of it and how to use it. Then, in verse 18, he says, “And…” (the “and” there would appear to indicate a continuation of the subject from the previous verses) “…pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, (another phrase indicating the continuation of the same topic) be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Prayer is a part of the armor that God has given us to enable us to stand our ground against the enemy. Let us not gloss over how important and vital it is in our lives! 

When we trust God, we’re going to listen to Him. We’re going to believe Him. We're going to stay grounded in His Word. It’s no secret that people aren’t always trustworthy. I’m sure that, without exception, we’ve all experienced some sort of hurt or betrayal at the hands of a fellow human being. (And if we’re being honest with ourselves, we can probably admit that, at one time or another, we’ve been the source of a hurt or betrayal felt by someone else, too.) Because of our experiences with people, it can be very, very difficult for us not to view God through a human lens. By that, I mean that we tend to believe (even subconsciously) that God might behave in a similar manner to how the people around us behave. So, when we are in a tough spot, we may find it hard to believe that God isn’t going to let us down. This is especially true when it feels like He has let us down. Let’s be honest here. Sometimes it does seem that way! Sometimes things happen that we think God should have prevented. He didn’t cause them, but He could have stopped them and He didn’t. That can leave us feeling abandoned. We want answers. We want to know why. We want a do-over. This is hard stuff! Trusting God means acknowledging that His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55: 8-9). He has a plan. Sometimes we might get a glimpse of what His purposes are, but other times we may never really understand (not in our lifetime, anyway). We have to keep in mind that it’s not all about us. God has not only our individual life in mind, but also the lives of all those who we come in contact with, and, ultimately (most importantly), His entire Kingdom. I can see how He has used some painful times in my life to bring about growth and maturity, but that doesn’t mean that I never struggle with the “whys,” and it doesn’t mean that there aren’t some things that don’t seem to make any sense at all. It can be comforting to know that He isn’t afraid of our fears and doubts. He is big enough to handle all our messy emotions. We can be honest with Him about how we’re feeling. He is able to bring comfort and peace to us in the midst of whatever turmoil we are going through. 

Choosing to trust God can be really hard. However, choosing NOT to trust God can be even harder. 

TRUST that you can FALL on God and He will CATCH you every time. 

 

 "Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."

- Psalm 9:10

 

(All scripture references in this post taken from the NIV Bible. Photos were taken by me in July, 2020, on the Red Gulch/Alkali National Back Country Byway in Wyoming.)