Trusting

     We used to have two pictures that Russ often used when giving a home teaching lesson- one of a sturdy tree standing straight and tall and one of a tall tree blown over having pulled up a large, shallow network of roots. The straight tree was by itself on the top of a hill, exposed to battering winds and weather but its roots were deep. The blown over tree was in sheltered among lots of other trees in a spot that received plenty of moisture so its roots were shallow. Recently in church a man told about roads in Canada that he had observed years ago, some of which had lots of potholes and fissures and some of which remained fairly smooth and even. When he asked someone local why they were different, he was told that it all depended on the foundation below the road. Because of extremes in temperature and moisture, the ground would heave or expand and sink or contract. Roads that had a deeper foundation could withstand changed in temperature and moisture better.
     Both of these examples can serve as metaphors to our own human resilience. In the scriptures it is expressed: "And now... remember....that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his might storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fail."  Too often we tend to rely upon the "arm of the flesh", which is human strength, knowledge, or understanding- all of which are obviously imperfect, short-sighted, and shallow especially in comparison with God.
     There is a well known story in the New Testament about Jesus' apostles in a boat at sea when they see the Savior coming toward them, walking on the water. At first they are afraid thinking they're seeing a ghost. He tells them it's okay because it is Him. Peter yells to Him that if it is truly Him to bid him come and he will walk on the water. At first Peter steps out of the boat and begins to approach the Savior, then he panics and begins to sink calling on the Savior to save him. The Savior saves him and gently chastises him for his doubts. I have had so many similar experiences. I have felt/heard the guiding voice of the Spirit and, when startled by it (happily thrilled not frightened), spoiled the moment and lost the connection. We all have times when we feel somehow assured in what we are to do until we harbor doubts then we feel like we are standing on shifting sand rather than solid rock. Our progress comes to a standstill as we pause to consider failure.
     Trust is essential for progression and personal peace. That trust needs to be in ourselves to the extent that we are confident or at least willing to try. We can't move forward if we don't pick up our feet. But also, we cannot be guided in our footsteps if we don't pick up our feet. Ultimately, the trust needs to be in God and Jesus Christ. "After all we can do" we must trust in the help they are so willing to give us and are only waiting for us to ask. I also need to add that they will give us what is right for us which may not always be what we think is best. Our knowledge is limited so there are options we may not be aware of and our perspective of timing is not always in our best interest. We tend to be impatient and unwilling to endure learning and growth opportunities. I think most of us desire to be happy and feel inner peace. Trust in God is a sure path to that.