Why can it be so hard to learn to trust in God?

With the teaching we get today, all based on science and practical things we all want to believe that we can trust ourselves. What even complicates the issue more is the push for people to trust in themselves and believe that they have the power to do anything that they want to do. “You can be whatever you want to be” state the many who are trying to motivate millions of people to do what they can for themselves. Some call this the “Me, me, me” era where everyone is trying to satisfy their own needs in an effort to give themself all that they can. You shouldn’t be surprised to see that the family unit is suffering when it tries to live alongside the “Me, me, me” era.

It can be hard to trust in God not because God is not worth trusting or because we don’t believe in God, but because modern schooling and teachings are based on each individual looking after each individual. How can you trust in God if you have this deep desire to try to trust in yourself first and foremost? When many people lay academic awards and compliments on your head it is hard for you not to believe that you can trust in yourself, you are obviously proving yourself. Why would you need God? Why would you need anyone? When people fail they believe its because they are a failure and not because they did not trust in God.

We are told that if we succeed then we deserve the results of that success, all good things come to people who succeed. Sadly there is an if in that sentence. The other side of the coin is if we don’t succeed then it can logically be stated that We Failed! Hows that for motivation! So what are people telling us is – if we don’t succeed then we deserve the results – failure? Ouch that hurts. Its hard to pick oneself up after one falls, and to be told that even before I try I am pre-programmed to know that if I fail it is my fault and I deserve the results of my failure. No wonder people are desperate to succeed. But sometimes we fail not because we made a mistake, but something happened beyond our personal control that caused us to fail, and mentally we still feel a failure.

A certain amount of people fail after doing motivational courses and reading motivational books. This can be devastating for them, they know that the books work for other people, but not for them. Does this mean that they are simple minded and couldn’t follow the instructions? These people suffer the failure of trying, this can be a very negative experience for them. To be told that you can do anything and then fail puts all sorts of negative pressure on the human mind. It also makes it harder to try again.

People consider themselves practical and more knowledgeable today.

By trusting in God we put all the pressure aside and know that God is at our side helping us on a daily basis. We can read books or attend courses that help us but with God at our side we can rest assured that everything will eventually work out alright. A constant belief in God means that we don’t need to keep pumping ourself up with motivational statements because God will show us the way. For me it took time for me to trust in God fully, mainly because I spent so many years reading motivational books to try to tell myself that I would succeed and to trust in myself. But when I failed oh did it hurt? My pride was dashed, my heart deflated. What I needed was a plan that was worked out by somebody else, a foolproof plan that would succeed.

God has a foolproof plan for you to follow,  but you obviously have to trust that God can and will want to help you. By believing that God loves you can then believe that the strongest power in the world is helping you. How could you fail? God has the resources to point you into the right direction to success.

You go to school and you try hard in the beginning. As the years go by you watch other people doing well, you night struggle with the subjects. This confuses you, you wonder why you are not as smart as the other students. Over time a negative feeling comes over you, this feeling is created by watching other students succeed while you flounder on the shore hoping you will one day get a grasp of school work. Finally you give up and turn to the lifestyle that you think will suit you. You leave school early and become a single parent or a labourer, money is hard to come by and you feel that the system has let you down. But you have friends, many friends who all have the same beliefs, you may not talk about it but you know that you are the same in this special way. But you know its not good enough.

Trust God and God will lead you. In time it will all become clearer to you, and when it does you will know what to do.

All the best from
James M Sandbrook.
20-5-2004