Learning to TRUST

Slip…Stumble…Crap!!!! That’s what it sounded like when I first started running trails.

I watched my friends running trails, and they seemed to glide over the obstacles of rocks, roots and slick mud. Meanwhile, my trail running sounded a lot like, “ah crap” as I slid through a mud patch, “ah, crap” as I tripped over yet another rock or root.

I loved running trails, hated the rocks and roots and tolerated going much slower when I came to a muddy section. While others flew down the hilly sections, I cautiously picked my way around the rocks, roots and other obstacles.

Until one fateful day, I was out running with one of our area’s speedy runners. Nick stopped further up the trail and just spent some time watching me. As I got close to him, he just said “trust your feet. They know where to go.”

Since that day I’ve been learning to trust my feet. It hasn’t come easy, but I find myself trusting my feet more, I find that there are days where I seem to glide over the obstacles and the trails, and I have become better friends.

Trust.

This is a fantastic characteristic to develop in our personal lives also. However, much like trusting your feet on a muddy, slick trail; learning to trust God, family, and others are going to be a slippery trail also.

I’m reading a book right now by John Baker, “Life’s Healing Choices” and one of the main points he makes is “Realize I’m not God.” On a recent morning out running, I found myself contemplating this one statement and the subsequent consequences in my life if I were to admit this is a true statement in my life. As I ran along and just sort of glided over the obstacles on the trail, the profound thought hit me that if I were really able to stop trying to control every situation I face, then I may actually be able to glide over the obstacles in my life.

Notice that I’m not expecting the obstacles to go away suddenly, I expect them and know they’re on the trails of life. However, if I can accept that I’m not God and trust His processes and His ability to bring other people into my life that I can trust then perhaps the stumbles and slips of life won’t affect the joy of life as much.

Since my mind works best in acronyms, the following is how I am remembering to TRUST.

Truth. To be able to trust at the very top of trust is to acknowledge the truth. When I was slipping and stumbling all over the mountains, it was the simple words of truth that enabled me to trust my feet. The truth is that my feet can sense where to shift, which sends a signal to my knees, hips, and core to move as necessary so I stay upright. The same is true in our lives. Feel the feelings, but seek the truth. Stop believing the lies you are believing about yourself and realize that you are a fantastic person with amazing gifts and talents that the world is waiting to discover.

Rock. On a muddy trail, rocks are your friend. Not only do they give you a firm place for your foot, but when you find yourself in a muddy section, the most enormous relief is to spy a small section of rock. Even if they are loose rock, you know the sharp edges, and a hard surface will allow you to scrape some mud off your shoes and give you a firm grip. In our lives, some people are rocks also. These are the steady people in our lives that allow us to express ourselves without judgment. As you traverse the trails of life make sure you seek out rocks in whom you can know you will have a firm surface to move along.

Unity. In this strange, divisive culture we now find ourselves in, I often find myself getting discouraged. There was a time when we were a nation that was united, that was before a political leader decided to change America fundamentally. This person was hugely successful in the transformation process, and we find ourselves divided and bitter. One fundamental truth of trail running is that you can’t do it by yourself. You have to be unified in your efforts with other people to reach your goals. Maybe we should consider finding areas to be united together rather than this crazy, stupid divisiveness.

Strength. The stronger my core and hips are, the more I can trust my feet. The strength comes first, and the trust follows. Life works the same way. To be able to trust, you first must be strong. The question is, strong in what? For me, I want to be able to trust God and His plans for my life. To trust God, I must gain strength in my knowledge of His characteristics and traits. To grow in my understanding of His attributes and features, I must study His word. As I study, I become stronger in my knowledge of Him, and therefore I can begin trusting Him more. Look for the same areas in your life that you are looking to trust also.

Tend. The definition of “tend” as a verb is “regularly or frequently behave in a particular way or have a certain characteristic.” Also, “go or move in a particular direction.” Learning to trail run comfortably means that you have to run trails on a regular basis. Running trails means that you will encounter rocks, roots, and mud, thus giving you plenty of opportunities to learn to trust your feet. To trust God and others, this means that you must move in a direction where you encounter God and others on a regular basis. As you have these encounters, you will naturally be able to trust more.

The trails of life are full of adventure and wonderment. To better enjoy these trails you must learn to trust, just as I am learning every day to trust my feet on the trails. To do this, I must find Truth, the Rock, Unity, Strength and learn to Tend.

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