Skip to main content

“It’s hard to learn to trust if your confidence has been shaken.”

A thought by Maria Goff (2017-03-07) from her book, Love Lives Here: Finding  What You Need in a World Telling You What You Want (Kindle Location 533). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Have you found that true in your life? 

Maria had a life filled with some trust issues but then she met, Bob her future husband.  Here she was, someone with trust problems andF their second date was to go rock climbing.  She said, “Rock climbing seemed a little ambitious for a second date. Typically, couples go to the park, see a movie, eat frozen yogurt, or watch a sunset. But this was Bob.”

She says, “We strapped into our harnesses and Bob scampered away somewhere around the rocks. He said he was going on ahead to ‘top rope’ me. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded like it involved me climbing up to him. Fifteen minutes later, I could see Bob leaning over the ledge above me. He threw the rope down and one end landed at my feet. On the end of the rope was a figure-eight knot for me to clip my carabiner into. I could tell he knew what he was doing, which only underscored the fact that I didn’t.”

She goes on, “I called up to Bob, my voice quivering, ‘I don’t think I can do this.’  ‘Sure you can,’ he said optimistically with a laugh. ‘Just make one move at a time. I’ve got you.’”

Later she says, “It wasn’t the strength in my arms and legs but the confidence I found in Bob that kept me going. I knew climbing this cliff would be impossible to pull off on my own. I wouldn’t be able to trust my experience because I had none. I couldn’t trust my strength because I had little. Instead, I needed to trust the rope, the harness, and a person far above who kept saying the same three words to me: ‘I’ve got you.’ All I could do was reach as high as I could and let my feet follow. I let the words ‘Just make one move. I’ve got you’ take root in my heart. Without a doubt, that was when I fell in love with Bob.”

She says, “Someone told me once that trusting God is like letting go. I have a clearer picture of what trusting someone means after rock climbing with Bob. Perhaps letting go is part of trusting, but I think it involves a lot of hanging on too. It means making moves when you can’t see all the handholds. It’s feeling the slack being taken up on the rope as you climb toward someone you’re learning to love unconditionally. It’s climbing toward a confident whisper from Jesus saying, ‘Trust Me, I’ve got you.’”

By the way, she made it to the top and you will too if you put your trust in Jesus!


Is that what you need to do today?

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life.   It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed.   Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life.   Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you.   You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good.   Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because G...

“What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Rick posed this question at the end of his chapter, You Are Not an Accident.   In this chapter he deals with the fact that God created you the way you are with a purpose.   In other words you are not an accident.   I am also reading the Apostle John’s view of Jesus and what He said and did while He was here on earth.   In the beginning of Chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man.   And the disciples who were with Him asked Him a good question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? ”   Have you ever asked the same thing about something in you that you don’t like?   Like that characteristic is a curse or something.   Society has set a standard that is not a standard of God.   Remember, He created you and you are not an accident. Je...