Trust

By: Rick Hernandez

During the Season of Advent, I find time to look inwards, into the preparedness of my heart, the disposition of my soul, and the willingness of my mind to conform to God’s will for me and mine. It is often that I find myself falling short of the goal, for I can be hardheaded in my ways, lacking in docility and humility. I then ask myself why that is? Why is it that we tend to be persistent in our obstinacy?

‘Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “Oh, that today you would hear his voice, ‘Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion in the day of testing in the desert, your ancestors tested and tried me, saw my works for forty years. Because of this, I was provoked by that generation. I said, “They have always been of erring heart, and they do not know my ways.” As I swore in my wrath, “They shall not enter into my rest.”’”’ (Hebrews 3:7-11)

To be hard-headed and obstinate is nothing new. During the Exodus, God asked Moses to guide the Israelites out of Egypt, so that they may be free. God was providing His people with freedom from enslavement after many years under the control of Egypt, yet there were many who stayed. Some Jewish Apocrypha writings state that a large group of the Israelites enslaved in Egypt refused to leave. This group refused freedom. Why? Because they refused to “change”. Life in Egypt as slaves was all they had ever known, and they had to balance that against their fear of the “different”. The ones who stayed probably had not known God as some of their ancestors had, so why would they trust? They trusted more the “known” in front of them than the call to be God's chosen people. We can easily see that faith was sparse among the many, and hope without faith can latch on to false things, it can misdirect our gaze to miss what is true and real. They could not recognize their call as God’s people, and for that many died still captive.
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Change is hard, for it requires trust, docility, humility, acceptance…  Most of us dislike change, and that is specifically because we lack the trust to challenge what it is we understand to be.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

But even when we do take that leap of faith and follow our Lord, do we let go of our pride, of our desire for control? Do we stop longing for that which we knew? What happens the first moment change challenges us, and we waver in our faith, docility, humility, and acceptance?

' …the whole community broke out with loud cries, and the people wept into the night. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, the whole community saying to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt,” or “If only we would die here in the wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land only to have us fall by the sword? Our wives and little ones will be taken as spoil. Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?”' (Numbers 14:1-3)

There is always the temptation to go back to where we were. To go back to the known as opposed to trust in the direction God sets up for us. “Better the devil you know...” is a saying for a reason, because it is in our nature to waver and go back to the known, yet we must fight this impulse. God is calling us to change. He is calling us to trust Him, to conform to His will for us. He is calling us to prepare, in humility, and to accept what He is planning for us.

The Hebrews stayed for 40 whole years in the desert. Mainly because they refused to accept God’s will for them. Yet, eventually, putting their trust in God’s plan, they were led to the land of Canaan, the land of milk and honey. 

‘O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem, no more will you weep; He will be gracious to you when you cry out, as soon as he hears he will answer you. The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, while from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: “This is the way; walk in it.”’ (Isaiah 30:19-21)

There will be times when life will feel heavy and overwhelming as we cross our own deserts. There will be occasions when we will feel we do not have what it takes to do what is asked of us. It is specifically in these instances that we need to grow ever closer to our Lord, conforming to His will for us more perfectly, for we know that what is nurtured is what grows. 

“He will give rain for the seed that you sow in the ground” (Isaiah 30:23)

Let us grow in faith and trust, that our hope be fulfilled in the acceptance of our daily mission of love and mercy in the world. Let us accept the freedom God is inviting us to live. May we protect the seed of our faith, and water it with the love of Christ Eucharistic, that we may grow ever faithful.

“On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people, he will heal the bruises left by his blows.” (Isaiah 30:26)

Let us pray: Lord, we do not always know what is your plan for us and ours, but help us to grow to perfectly trust in your will for us. May we be able with your mighty help to leave behind our old captive selves and embrace the freedom of your call to us. Amen.
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Rick Hernandez

Rick Hernandez is a commonsense Catholic, Lay Associate of the Blessed Sacrament, and a Director for Elisheba House. He lives in Trinity, Florida, with his wife Ivonne and their children. He also writes for the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament's Daily Eucharistic Reflections and for Catholicmom.com.