Do You Trust Me?
“‘Come to the edge,’ he said. They said: ‘We are afraid.’ ‘Come to the edge,’ he said. They came. He pushed them and they flew.” - Guillaume Apollinaire, French Poet
Hello Dear Friend,
I will forever be a Disney Kid. Just like any other kid growing up, my brother and I spent quite a bit of time watching Disney films. Of course when I think of Disney I think about the animated films mostly and today is no exception.
You remember Aladdin right? The animated story about a street rat named Aladdin which has recently been developed into a real live version to conveniently put it back on your radar just in time for this letter. Anyways, towards the beginning of the movie Aladdin and Jasmine are being chased through the street market when suddenly Aladdin stops abruptly and turns around asking Jasmine, in a serious tone, "Do you trust me?"
Taken off guard, the Princess responds like any of us would by asking, “What?!” to which Aladdin repeats his question as he extends his hand out to her. “Do you trust me?” Jasmine has a moment of hesitation before she takes his hand and hesitantly answers, “Yes.” Not wasting any time, Aladdin firmly wraps his hand around Jasmine’s as he tells her to jump and their adventure begins.
Trust seems to be one of the hardest things for us to give. We have numerous exercises based on trust. We are constantly working to gain trust from others. So why is it so hard for us to let down our guard? It seems to be an easy trait found in most children. Their innocence lets you in and allows you to guide, mold and teach them and as they grow we watch them develop into these little people. They tend to live boldly and fearlessly seek adventures having yet to discover all the ways that the world can harm them. Their curious minds see the beauty in everything as they show us how to love and trust so openly. Their little pure hearts have us start to question when we lost that feeling of freedom and began to worry and doubt everything and everyone.
If you're anything like me, somewhere in your journey you’ve built an invisible wall as an act of protective defense. It’s in our nature to want to be in control especially when it comes to what's happening with our life. We’re afraid to let go of that power and allow someone else access to direct our path scared of how it will affect us.
One day last week I was driving home from work in some pretty heavy fog pockets. I don't like the fog. I especially hate driving in it when my route includes a zigzag of twists and curves caused from mountain roads and I can’t see a thing. However, as I've gotten older, even though driving in the fog still gets me a little anxious, I have grown to see its beauty. There’s something mystical about it. In my travels throughout the years up and down the mountain when the fog has settled in and I’m driving straight into it I’ve been led to pray. It’s become God and me time when nothing else seems to exist and I need to rely on Him to get me through safely.
We’ve all heard it, walk by faith and not by sight. Yeah, easier to say than done. Too often I find myself standing in the middle of a crossroad looking around but blinded by the thickness of the fog, I can't see where any of those roads lead. Then God steps in. He stands before me with an outstretched hand to ask, “Do you trust Me?”
I’d like to say that I immediately grab onto Him but sadly that’s not usually the case. Instead, I often hesitate, show doubt and skirt around the issue to dodge the question for awhile, trying to make excuses while looking for any and all reasons to why that plan (God’s plan) won’t work and how it’s just not logical. But like Aladdin stood in front of Jasmine with his hand reaching out to meet hers, God firmly holds His ground waiting patiently asking again, “Do you trust Me?”
“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” - Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV
He reaches out with an open palm and invites me to meet Him. His hand never grows tired or waivers from that stretch as He patiently waits until I decide to say yes. As I grab hold of His hand He pulls me to the next level. Just like a child would with their parent, I surrender and let Him guide me and teach me.
Often times the path He leads me down isn't easy and the road isn't one I would expect or take on my own but I've never regretted it. Every path He has led me down has taught me something, it's made me stronger and brought me blessings that I would have otherwise missed out on. These days those moments of hesitation aren't coming from a lack of trust. The hesitation comes more from taking some time to mentally prepare and ask myself if I’m ready. Because the years have shown that when God is asking me if I trust Him and asks if I'll grab His hand it usually means that it’s time for me to jump.
With love,
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