How many times are you asked to trust in a day’s time? You switch on a light and you expect that there will be light. You turn on your water and expect that there will indeed be safe, fresh, pure water. And if you are really in a jam or a crisis, you call 911 and trust that someone will be coming quickly to help you. So it is with so many of our connections to the technological world, push the magic Google button and we trust the answers we receive are really and honestly the truth. But probably a trickier part of trust is how we feel about trusting people. We are pretty sure the sun will come up each morning and the stars will come out at night, but will the people we have come to depend upon, will they love us as we need? And what about the economy and Wall Street and our futures? Sometimes it may seem easier to trust that someone will come when you dial 911, than that the person (s) who you are closest to will be there for you.
Trust is a matter of the spirit. It is a matter of the very delicate balance of vulnerability and past experiences. We desperately cling to those situations or people in life we believe to be true, trusting that we can believe in them. And yet everyone has a horror story they could tell about trust gone wrong; broken relationships, bankruptcy, divorce, sibling/spousal/children/religious abandonment, betrayal, murder, suicide and violence. How does one carry on, live and move from one minute to the next, when one has been so betrayed by someone, a religious institution, or the government turning out to be so untrustworthy? And that is where the spiritual power of trust comes into play.
I trust in the present moment. I trust in myself and my power. I trust that I have a lot to learn. I trust that I don’t know the future and that that is better than ok. Because in not knowing I remain open. So, this body can be maimed, hurt and even killed, but that isn’t the full me anyway, that is only the outside of what you see. So with new eyes I see differently. Put your heart in a holy place and trust. This can be a scary way to live in the beginning. But practice makes perfect, and that is why as individuals we need a spiritual practice that helps us, reminds us of the larger picture, the deeper part of life. I have taken responsibility for myself, my behavior and in doing so I am freer than I have ever been in my life. And that freedom has given me a sense of power that Hollywood has not heard of yet. And that is the power of trust in the unknown. If you haven’t tried it, unclasp your fingers from whatever rock of denial you may be holding on to and let go, knowing the stream of life has a purpose for you, and in the traveling down that stream it will be made clear to you. Not always the answer you may have been looking for, but powerful none the less.
Apr 03, 2012 @ 20:55:53
Annie, thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience
Apr 09, 2012 @ 13:22:41
I trust you to write a wonderful blog every week!
Apr 09, 2012 @ 16:11:44
For me, realizing the power of trust comes after acknowledging the power of vulnerability. (Brene Brown’s TED Talk about vulnerability: http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html) I think you say it best with “[Trust] is a matter of the very delicate balance of vulnerability and past experiences.” So true! For some of us, it might take a deliberate choice to be vulnerable, to open ourselves again. Scary, scary, scary. But the reward manifests as a spiritual awakening.
Apr 15, 2012 @ 06:02:10
Put your heart in a holy place and trust.