My New Favorite Place

I have a thankful heart. This book I’ve been reading really is helping me to savour the beautiful in my life. One of my favorite places/experiences is to run on the trails in the trees at Cultus Lake. I am so thankful for my dear running partner, Sarah, for introducing me to them and loving going there with me (she is also the one who lent me this book to read!). So what I have been learning about the last few days started on the drive back from Cultus Lake after a run last week. In that drive I began to learn more about TRUST.

As I was driving, feeling fabulous from my run in the “forest”, I was simply overcome by a strong sense of trust: trust in my God. I experienced trust in Him because I knew that He would care for me no matter what happens in the days ahead. It was comforting. It parallels the same experience I have with my earthly father; I know that my dad believes in me no matter what path of life I choose to take. I can see it in his eyes, hear it in his words, and sense it in his hugs. My dad loves his girl, his daughter, and I can trust in that love. However, even more than my earthly dad loves me, my Heavenly Father loves me so much more. I trust with a knowing trust, that God believes so deeply in the work of my life because I am His child and He is so deeply invested in me. When I understand this it compels me to practice trust in Him and to feel safe in that trust.

It was a day or two later that the book I am reading, 1000 gifts, turned from talking about giving thanks in everything to look for the small and wonderful blessings through out the day, to talking about trust. And she coherently linked these two concepts in such a way that as the pages speak on and on about trust, I had to stop and think: “my God is speaking to me about trust this week!” Why trust? Why is God speaking to me about trust? I don’t know. But He has also helped me to experience it this past week. And that is a beautiful place to be.

Listen to the words of Ann Voskamp.

Thanks [to God] is what builds trust [in Him]. (p150)

Much of the worry in my own life has been a failure to believe…a wariness to thank and trust the love hand of God….

I make soup and I bake bread and I know my supreme need is joy in God and I know I can’t experience deep joy in God until I deep trust in God. I shine sinks and polish through to the realization that trusting God is my most urgent need. If I deep trusted God in all the facets of my life, wouldn’t that deep heal my axiety, my self-condemnation, my soul holes? (p149)

If God didn’t withhold from us His very own Son, will God withhold anything we need? If trust must be earned, hasn’t God unequivocally earned our trust with the bark on the raw wounds, the thorns pressed into the brow, your name on the cracked lips? How will He not also graciously give us all things He deems best and right? He’s already given the incomprehensible. (p155)

Now I don’t know why these words and experiences of trust have come to me, but I do know it is a concept and an experience I haven’t explored much previously. Perhaps it follows that I’ve cried out to God to bless me and He replies, “give thanks and trust in me and you will see your blessings already present, and you will see your abundant blessings to come.” I invite you to explore trust in our good God together with me and discover one of my new favorite places.