Do You Trust?

25 Sep

“Trust is the most important part of a relationship, closely followed by communication.  I think that if you have those two things, everything else falls into place.”  ~ Vanessa Lachey

Communication and trust.  These are two components that are concentrated upon quite heavily by providers of marriage preparation.  They are so focused upon because, without trust and communication, marriages could fall apart quickly.  If married couples cannot communicate with each other, they will soon call it quits.

It is not just married couples, however, who need to communicate and trust.  It is any relationship, any partnership.  If a couple or a small group band together to open a business, they will need to communicate with one another and trust one another or their business will founder.  If any couple or group gets together for whatever reason but cannot communicate with and trust each other, they will soon call it quits.

Calling it quits — failure — is the result of the lack of communication and trust.  It is a sad reality but it happens quite often.  Relationships, either couple or a group, cannot survive without communicating with one another or trusting one another.

I hope by now in today’s reflection you can agree with that premise.  Relationships cannot last without communication and trust.  Okay.  Now we get down to the thick of things: we often talk about our relationship with God.  Just what kind of relationship do you have?  Do you communicate with God?  Do you trust God?

The “normal” route of communication with God is called prayer.  We desire a close relationship with God yet often fail to pray.  How can we have a close relationship with God if we do not communicate (pray) with Him?  It is impossible.  And if we do not communicate with God, there is no basis or reason to trust.  Many people go to God only in desperation.  Doing so, their prayer is often hollow because they do not trust.  They do not trust because they have not built up a relationship with God in prayer.

You say that relationships go both ways, right?  So then, does God communicate with us?  Does God trust us?  God has communicated with us from the time His people first began to write down His words and His works.  Communication with God comes to us from the scriptures and comes to us from the people in our lives.  Communication with God also comes to us when we open ourselves up to Him in prayer.  There are many occasions when we can feel the very presence of God as we pray to Him.

As far as trust goes, God trusted us so much that He set aside His glory to become a tiny baby.  He trusted us with His very Son.  He continues to trust us with His mission.  Jesus entrusted us to proclaim the Good News to all the earth.  God has never stopped communicating with us or trusting us.  It is up to us to work on our side of the relationship.

FAITH ACTION:  Pray and reflect upon the following Prayer for Trust by St. Ignatius of Loyola.

O Christ Jesus, when all is darkness and we feel our weakness and helplessness, give us the sense of Your presence, Your love, and Your strength. Help us to have perfect trust in Your protecting love and strengthening power, so that nothing may frighten or worry us, for, living close to You, we shall see Your hand, Your purpose, Your will through all things.