Trust-Faith

" A man was walking along a narrow path, not paying attention to where he was going.  Suddenly, he slipped over the edge of the cliff.  As he was falling, he grabbed a branch that was growing from the side of the cliff and hung on for dear life.  After several moments, he realized he could'nt hang on for much longer so he cried out for help,"

Man: Is anybody up there? 

Voice: Yes, I'm here! 

Man: Who's that? 

Voice: It's God.

Man: God, help me! 

Voice: Do you trust me? 

Man: I trust you completely. 

Voice: Good. Let go of the branch. 

Man: What? 

Voice: I said, let go of the branch! 

Man: (After a long pause) Is anybody else up there? 

From: Trust by Iynala Vanzant 

There will be times in our life when we call out for assistance and a voice speaks to us but at that moment we do not trust.  We don't trust God and we don't trust ourselves.  We ask for what we need and because we live in a place of distrust we fail to accept what is being offered to us.  Like the man holding on to the branch we lack faith and faith comes from trusting that when we ask God for his or her guidance it is in that very moment that we must ask ourselves if in fact we trust ourselves and God.  

" fear, doubt, disbelief, and disobedience are at the core of our ability or inability to trust God enough to follow the guidance we receive." 

To this I would add lack of faith.  We often times lack the faith that we will be provided for and that whatever is going on in our life we will overcome it.  We forget that there have been other sitautions where we have doubted it and yet we got through it and did so with just a little faith and just a tiny bit of trust in God, in others who love us and in ourselves.  Who we question the most is ourselves and then God.  But if we are who we say we are and have the courage and faith that we say we do, we can get through most if not all the things that come our way, sometimes in the form of darkness and pain.  

Asking ourselves some basic questions help us to uncover our inner guidance and connect us with Source: 

How do I perceive God?  Do I know him/her to be a source that is far away or inside of me? 

When I ask God for guidance do I listen and act on it or question it?  Why do I question it? 

What do I do or need to do to get closer to Source?  Pray, meditate, converse with God? 

What is lacking in me that makes me not have the faith I need to move back into a joyous life? 

Answering these basic questions will be helpful in gaining the trust you will someday need from source and help you to have faith and trust in your own ability to access the tools and the courage you need to navigate through any and all situations that come your way.  It is not a question of whether you will be challenged but rather when you will be challenged next.  The time will come and although one cannot completely prepare for it one can be proactive and have a spiritual plan that will make it possible to get through the hard times when they arise.  Knowing why we ask for guidance and then reject it helps us to know that our connection to God is not very strong.  That we don't trust him/her to be there every time and all the time.  How we see God, as a punishing entity or as a kind and all accepting entity will help us to reconnect with source and access it when needed.