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Growing in, one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible was Proverbs 3:5-6. It states, 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

This simple passage has profound meaning. It is a command to not try and figure out life on my own, but instead to trust in God’s ability to lead and guide my path. 

As a young man, I found that scripture to come fairly easy. It was single, didn’t have a lot of bills, and didn’t really have a lot of influence on other people. My actions had a relatively small ripple effect, so I really did not have to think about anyone other than myself. So, trusting with just me wasn’t too complicated.

This all changed the moment that Heather walked down the aisle and became my wife. Not only did I have me to worry about, but I also had this beautiful bride that I loved more than anything in my life. Not too soon after getting married, I began to realize that trusting in God was easy when it was just one person, but not so easy when you have something in your life you care so much about.

A few years ago, during my quiet time, I found myself going back over this scripture in Proverbs. By that time, it was no longer just me and Heather. Our house was filled with 6 kids, two dogs and trusting in God had turned into what seemed to be a daily exercise! During this quiet time, I felt God whisper in my spirit, “Trust is only a theory until stress arrives.” 

That little phrase went off in my spirit like a cannon. God was telling me that I can read the scriptures, say all the things and proclaim to trust in Him. That is great, but it is only a theory until the moment comes when I HAVE to trust in Him. When that moment of stress, pressure or crisis hits, that is when true trust is revealed.

Many times the hard part about trusting in God is because it means we have to yield control over to an invisible God. This can be especially challenging when the moment involves the ones I care about the most in life. Still, as a husband and father, I have to take the scripture to heart and trust God at all times. 

When I do finally let go of the illusion of control and yield to God’s wisdom and understanding, He begins to move mightily on my behalf. Time and time again, God has directed our paths down some scary roads that seemed determined to defeat my marriage and family. Every road we went on, God led us through victoriously. It didn’t always make sense, required a lot of trust, but He has never failed us.